


For Cuck's Sake

by MadManta



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Barebacking, But he's still hot I can't even be mad, Butt Plugs, Canon Typical Violence, Confessions, Exhibitionism, F/M, Infidelity, Jealousy, Kinda cheating, M/M, Mainly RudeReno, Noncon Exhibitionism, Oral Sex, Possibly Unrequited Love, Pre Plate Drop, Rude is a Dirt Bag, Tifa Gets Some Revenge, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:20:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadManta/pseuds/MadManta
Summary: Reno and Rude share a wall at Shinra HQ. Reno's tired of listening to Rude fuck people -- he wants to see it. He hides in Rude's closet to watch, but isn't quite prepared for how it hits him emotionally.
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Tifa Lockhart/Rude
Comments: 38
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please heed the tags on this one. I don't want any nastygrams.

Rude and Reno share a bedroom wall.

Their Shinra apartments are directly next to each other. Six years prior, an act of convenience and comradery. Now, a slow torture for Reno’s longing hands.

He knows for a fact that he’s fucked someone hard enough to shake the wall, and Rude had never tapped on it in irritation. In fact, the following day Rude had just given him a tiny smirk and murmured, “Not saddlesore are you, partner?” He’d said it in a way so lascivious that Reno had actually blushed in stead of boasted of his conquering dick.

What he doesn’t know is if Rude had gotten off on it, because that’s crossing a line. That’s a step too far past partnership into the intimate details. And he’s sure that if he asked, Rude would answer him honestly, because they _are_ that close. But Reno doesn’t want to know the answer, because Reno wants Rude, and Rude seems perfectly content to set his sights on gorgeous women.

But boy, does Reno jerk off to the sound of Rude fucking them.

Reno hasn’t brought anyone home, _here_ , to his bed with the shared wall, in months. He’s been spending more times in clubs on his knees with his hand in his pants than anything else. The more anonymous, the better. It wasn’t necessarily self destructive as it calmed the roaring need in him and made his life easier. It wasn’t healthy, either, since this was his only method of dealing with the fact that he wanted his partner to hold him down and fuck him and maybe hold him afterward.

These are the things he can’t let himself think about — the fucking, the holding — because it makes him ache. But he does like to think about Rude nailing a beautiful woman. He can hear it, hear _her_ , hear the bed frame. Never Rude, though. He’s quiet in the act, just like in everything he does: which is a fucking pity.

Reno invites him out that night. Tells him he wants to play darts and eat wings and stumble home piss drunk. But Rude politely declines, in that way that’s so infuriating. “Sorry, I have plans,” he says, glancing over at him and letting his lips curl, just a little, into a soft grin. “Tomorrow night?”

Rude is so fucking _gentle_ with him, gentle with his emotions and friendship. Rude barely even frowns at him when he’s bandaging Reno’s wounds. Reno knows he’s important to Rude. He knows there’s something special there, and Reno is the sick fuck whose feelings twist into a perverse desire. He wants to see — _needs_ to see — Rude work. He wants to see the kind of woman he brings home. He wants to see his partner’s hard dick.

He has an idea, and it feels rotten and queasy and he knows he’s going to do it anyway. “Yeah, that’s cool,” Reno says with an easy smirk. “There’s a blitzball game on I wanna watch anyway, and you know how you are with sports.” Reno raises a hand, imitating a flapping mouth. “Blah, blah, blah.”

Rude gives him a wry smile, and Reno feels it in his gut.

Rude doesn’t head home first. He’s presumably going to pick up his _plans for the evening_. He wonders if he takes a helicopter. He’s got the metaphorical balls big enough to do it. Reno wants to see if it’s literal, too.

Their apartments _are_ right next to each other, so the only person who sees him in the hallway as he’s kneeling in front of Rude’s door to pick the lock, just laughs. “Forget your key again, Reno?” they ask, and he just chuckles, staring at the knob. “Thank god my head’s attached to my body, am I right?”

He slinks in, closes the door and locks it again. He has no idea how much time he has. What if he’s just stuck in here for three hours? God, what if Rude’s “plans” didn’t involve coming back here at all? He used the bathroom just in case it was going to be a long wait, and then stepped into Rude’s bedroom.

He’d only been in here a couple of times. When your own bed is next door, there’s no reason to ever enter your friend’s private sanctuary. He at least knows there’s a closet since the layout of their rooms are identical, if reversed, and his feet take him to it like a man possessed. He opens the door and it doesn’t squeak, unlike his own. It’s also a lot cleaner inside, with finely pressed suit pieces hanging in neat rows and a shoe shelf lined with all manner of loafers and one pair of athletic sneakers. Reno shoulders out of his jacket, adjusts himself, and then sits down on the floor of the closet. Then he closes it almost all the way, leaving a slim crack that gives him perfect vision of the bed, and waits.

His back is stiff and he’s getting tired of scrolling through his phone when he hears it: Rude’s door unlocking, and then the very unfamiliar sound of a woman’s voice mingling with Rude’s gentle laughing one.

Reno already knows this is a mistake, but he doesn’t have a chance to rectify it. Rude appears in the bedroom doorway, his sunglasses and suit jacket already gone. His hands, still gloved, are caressing the extremely curvaceous form of his lady of choice. Reno’s almost surprised by the sight of her, in a miniskirt and crop top and thigh highs, and he wonders if she’s a _lady of the evening_ until he sees just how muscular she is.

“Everyone in your bar hates it when I show up,” Rude is saying, grinning fondly at her, and kisses her neck. “What’d I ever do to them, Tifa?”

“Rude,” she giggles, and it turns into a little gasp as his fingers slide up under her skirt and get a hand full of her ass. “You’re a walking beacon of Shinra’s excess. Gods, if they knew I was— _oh_.” He simply picks her up, and her thick muscled thighs wrap around his waist. Reno is no longer in control. He silently opens the fly to his pants, the zipper moving tooth by tooth, until his cock can spring free.

“You’re not telling them anything bad about me, I hope,” Rude murmurs, and walks her over to the bed. At this angle, Reno can only see Tifa falling back into Rude’s pristine comforter. Reno can hear him unbuttoning his clothes and it’s killing him that he can’t watch Rude strip. He does at least watch Tifa shoulder out of her suspenders and that little crop top, showing a big rack that was tightly bound down by a sports bra. She doesn’t reply to his statement, just smiles coyly up at him, and then Rude is back in his sights as he leans down over her. “Let me help you out of that, baby,” he purrs, and removes the sports bra with what Reno worries is _practiced_ ease. He watches in aroused shock as her breasts fall loose, big and teardrop shaped, and Rude is clearly smitten, getting those gloved hands on them, mouth on a nipple.

“I don’t know where those gloves have been,” she murmurs, and he hums apologetically against her skin. He takes the gloves off, tossing them aside in such a carefree way that Reno feels unbearably jealous. Rude’s entire focus is on this bombshell. He pushes her further back on the bed and now Reno can see their whole bodies. She’s still got her skirt and shorts and thigh highs on, and even her feet look sexy in the air wrapped in the black tights material. Rude’s shirtless and barefoot, and Reno can finally see the bulge in his pants, though not for long as he presses forward, grinding against her.

They kiss, and Reno finally wraps a hand around his cock. Rude looks so damn good like this. He’s in control and the woman under him is writhing, eager to be with him, excited for what is to come. He effortlessly slides her skirt and, to Reno’s surprise, shorts combination, so that underneath she just has a silky little blue thong on. The groan that’s ripped out of Rude’s throat is so sultry Reno almost moans.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Rude rumbles, and his mouth lands directly above that little blue triangle of fabric. Tifa’s knees bend and spread, her cheeks pink, her breath heavy.

“Wait,” she whispers, and bites her pretty red lip. “I wanna see you.”

“Whatever you want,” he says back, and sits up so that he can slowly open that belt, the clinking sound alone giving Reno a hot flood of desire. Rude’s oozing masculinity in a way that makes him crazy. The belt falls lost on the side of the bed, and then his pants. There’s a bit of soft giggling as Rude has to wiggle out of both his slacks and his underwear; the intimacy at feeling comfortable at laughing anything awkward causes another jealous pang that Reno just swallows down when he finally sees Rude’s thick, uncut cock bobbing between Tifa’s raised thighs.

Tifa gets a devious look on her face, closing her black-clad thighs around that cock, and Rude holds onto her knees as he slowly thrusts back and forth against him. “Damn, if that’s all you wanna give me, I’ll take it,” Rude groans.

“Lick me first,” Tifa coos, legs falling open again. “Then we’ll see.”

“Gladly,” Rude says, and his mouth returns to her panties, pulling them down with his teeth.

Reno has to close his eyes. Something’s hitting him hard and he isn’t sure he can watch this part. The sound is so close, and it’s so wet and full of Tifa’s soft voice asking him to go a little softer, a little faster, and Rude’s humming agreements.

The noises change and it’s the sound of kissing. He opens his eyes again, and sees him hovering over her, cock resting against the soft black hair of her pussy. They look good together, _natural_ , and Reno tries to think about how this was just so he could see Rude’s cock, just have something to fill in that blank space in his imagination. His hand is working slowly over his cock, swollen and eager, as he watches them murmur to each other.

“You want me now?” Rude asks.

“Yeah,” she breathes, her own hips moving and searching for Rude. He just chuckles, reaching to the bedside table and pulling out a condom without a glance. Reno pressed his lips together, thinking about how often he’s heard Rude pounding someone on the other side. At least he was safe with it, Reno thinks hysterically, as though it actually matters to him. Reno’s eyes are glued to Rude’s hands, watching him with great interest as he cleanly opens the foil and then rolls the condom on, so tight around his huge cock Reno’s surprised it doesn’t squeak.

And then he pushes into her, slow at first so that Tifa’s soft moans are drawn out into soft whimpers until he’s seated in her. He kisses her again, and then there’s no more words, just Rude’s hips moving back and forth. It’s slow and sensual, and Reno realizes he’s missed this part whenever he listens on the other side. It’s too slow to properly have the headboard bang the wall, and this is the hottest thing he’s ever seen. Every slow thrust forward filling her too much, every backwards pull making her beg for more. Reno wanted to be under him so badly, to feel that slow, rhythmic fucking as he drove his partner closer to the brink of orgasm.

Reno watches Tifa’s fingers slide in between their bodies so that she can touch herself, and that causes Rude’s hips to stutter and then speed up. He’s turned on by her pleasure, and that’s when he starts slamming her. The headboard sounds different on this side of the wall. Reno’s just glad that it’s loud enough that the sound of fisting his pre-cum covered cock is inconsequential, practically inaudible. Rude curls his hand under her back, pulling her up against him as he fucks into her. Her voice reaches a high point and his lips cover hers while her hips tremble and jerk, in what Reno can only assume is her coming all over his cock.

Reno is so close, but he has to wait; if he comes before this is over, he’ll be trapped in here not being turned on before he gets to see Rude get off. That’s what he was here for, even as hot as it was to watch him bring off somebody else.

Rude goes for a long time, though, to the point where she comes _again_ and Reno is trying real hard to not hate her. At that point his cock slides all the way out of her and he’s on his knees between her legs, pulling the condom off and jerking off hard and fast. The first stream of cum has Reno clenching his teeth and coming hard in his hand and all over his damn shirt. He covers his own stupid mouth to hide the sound of breaths. Rude lets out a deep groan, and, to Reno’s dismay, he slides his cock back into her slippery pussy, resting there. She giggles up at him, stretching her arms above her head. “Get outta there,” she hums, shifting back. “Too sensitive.”

“Feels so good, though,” he teases, but does pull out, his cock still half hard and shining in her natural lube.

“Mm, gods,” she murmurs. “I’d kill for a shower.”

“Lucky for you,” Rude smiles, leaning down to place a nipping kiss on her mouth. “I have working plumbing.”

“Show off,” she says, and swats his arm as she rolls off of the bed. “You gonna join me?”

Rude hesitates for a moment, and then says, “You go ahead. Then I’ll be the one to make you a drink, how about that?”

She seems satisfied with that answer, and pads out of the bedroom. Reno is still frozen, waiting for Rude to leave so that he can…somehow…escape this sick prison he’s made for himself.

But Rude doesn’t leave the bedroom. Instead, he stands there silently until the bathroom door clicks shut. “You can come out now.”

Reno’s eyes become saucers. There’s _no way_ Rude is talking to him. His breathing becomes panicked.

Rude slowly turns to face the closet, folding his arms. His cock is still half hard. Hardening, even, and still slick. “You’re right, I’d be nervous to come out, too. If it’s anyone but Reno, I’ll break your neck.”

Reno lets out a soft huff, and stays where he is, but he can’t help but reply: “And if it is me?”

Rude stares hard at the barely open closet, and Reno realizes that Rude is anal retentive as hell and would never leave his own fucking closet open. He’s so stupid. How long did Rude know? “Get out here.” His voice is deadly serious.

Reno does. He pushes open the silent closet door, and he’s about to get to his feet when Rude snaps, “Crawl over here.”

Reno stares at him, turquoise eyes widening in surprise. Rude’s head tips just a bit to the side. “You’ve got fifteen minutes until she’s out of the shower,” he says. “Hurry up.”

Reno doesn’t understand what is happening, other than how he’s shuffling forward on his knees and then dropping to his hands to crawl the rest of the distance to Rude. He sits up to kneel, again, and Reno can’t help the moan that escapes him when Rude’s fingers tighten sharply in his hair. “What are you playing at, partner?” Rude asks, and maybe it’s because Reno is face to face with the cock he’s been fantasizing about for years, or maybe it’s that his brain is such a clusterfuck of different emotions, but he can’t get a read on what Rude is feeling.

“Whenever you fuck someone,” Reno whispers, his voice gravelly from such a dry mouth, “I listen on the other side and jerk off.”

“As if I don’t,” Rude says.

Reno moans, eyes shutting. “I wanted to see it so bad.”

“See what? Me fucking someone?”

“Your cock,” Reno says, opening those eyes and turning them up at Rude. Rude stares down at him, still unreadable, but his fingers loosen in his hair.

“Clean me off with your mouth,” Rude says, his cock definitely getting hard again, already.

Reno’s mouth opens in surprise. Rude wants him to suck Tifa’s cum off of his cock and he has ten minutes to do it. He’s lurching forward before he even has a second to reconsider. Rude’s cock tastes like pussy, and Reno finally lets himself moan out loud as he sucks him clean. His lips move fast and deep, until he’s swallowing all of the taste down, and all that’s left is the musky, dark flavor of Rude’s own skin.

Rude’s breathing is labored, and he keeps stroking Reno’s hair like it’s the only thing grounding him. Reno pulls off just long enough to murmur, “Use my mouth,” and then dives back on him.

Then Reno feels Rude get his other hand on the back of his neck, essentially using him as a handle as he starts to fuck Reno’s mouth. It’s sloppy and Reno gags the first few times, but then he’s open and wet and whimpering. Rude can feel the saliva drip from Reno’s mouth, landing on his thighs, and that seems to spur him on. Reno’s cock is hard again, but he’s so desperate to keep his hands on Rude’s legs that he doesn’t touch himself. He just lets Rude thrust in and out, faster and faster until Rude actually whispers, “Where do you want it?”

Reno wants to be mad that Rude is still being considerate. Asking him instead of taking whatever the fuck he wants. He just leans forward, mouth opening with a gulping noise, to imply he wants to milk him dry with his throat. Rude makes a noise that is very similar to the sound he’d made when he saw those blue underwear, and Reno feels his cock pulse painfully. Rude starts to fuck him faster, harder, and then he gasped, bottoming out in Reno’s throat as he comes. Reno isn’t going to be able to taste it, he’s so deep inside, but the feeling of every pulse of cum is so hot that Reno is coming on the carpet, hands free.

Rude pulls his cock free of Reno’s mouth. His hand moves to Reno’s cheek, cupping it lightly, his thumb dragging over Reno’s bright red bottom lip. Reno’s got tears in the corners of his eyes from having taken such a thing down his throat. What he doesn’t expect is for Rude to slap him: _properly_ slap him, the noise as loud as a damn spank. Reno gasps soundlessly, falling back.

“Get out of here,” Rude says. “I don’t want to hear a word about this, alright?”

Reno swallows in shock, nodding. He shoves his wet dick back into his pants and stumbles to his feet. “Whatever you say, partner.”

“You can come over tomorrow,” Rude says, and Reno gets whiplash looking back at him in confusion. Rude glances towards his feet. “You can clean your mess up out of my carpet, then we can go get drinks.”

Reno flushes bright red, nods, and then escapes the apartment. He’s thankful his own door is ten feet away, even though the second he’s hiding inside, he doesn’t feel safer, or better.

He doesn’t know what the hell he’s done.


	2. Chapter 2

Reno showed up at Rude’s apartment with a spray bottle full of pet strength stain remover and a roll of paper towels, and Rude just barely repressed a smirk as he invited him in. Afterwards, they went out for those beers and wings, and stumbled home drunk as Reno had wanted.

The real problem starts when Reno stares up at his ceiling, half-drunk, and wonders what’s going to happen to him now.

He’s got it bad for Rude. He’d gotten nothing done at work that day because he kept thinking about swallowing him down. Every time his gaze would shift to Rude, the other man would barely acknowledge him or worse, just look at him like nothing was different.

But it’s very different for Reno. He imagines what it would have been like if Rude had invited him inside while they’re both drunk. He imagines setting Rude down on his couch and kneeling in front of him, Rude’s fingers in his hair.

He whines when he realizes whiskey dick isn’t going to get him anywhere.

He rolls over, pulling his thin comforter — in stark contrast to Rude’s, which had been luxurious — tightly around his body, curling in on himself until that burning arousal dies and turns to indigestion.

He wishes he’d never gone through with the stupid plan.

Reno wakes up with a new plan: pretend everything is normal. Rude sure as hell seemed capable of doing it, so why not Reno?

He shows up at work and looks better than he did yesterday. He brings Rude a coffee — Rude’s second for the day, as usual — even though Reno’s got his usual god-awful sugary energy drink. Rude just rolls his eyes and throws him a few Gil for his trouble. It’s routine, it’s friendly. A weight feels lifted off his shoulders.

It’s easier every day, especially when he remembers he _can_ just go out and get what he needs somewhere else. It won’t be the same, but it will at least help him erase the memory. The sight, the sounds. The taste.

He still forces himself to ask Rude out to bars regularly, and Rude still agrees. With a few drinks in him, just being in Rude’s orbit is enough to reassure him that he didn’t throw years of friendship down the drain for the sake of his dick.

This time, as they’re strolling home for the evening, Reno invites him out for a night clubbing. He half hopes Rude will say no so that Reno won’t be thinking about _Rude_ while he trawls the scene for fresh meat. But Rude’s answer surprises him: “We can’t,” he says with a shake of his head. “We have plans.”

Reno trips over his feet. He isn’t sure if he should say ‘we do?’ so he just stares at Rude’s retreating back and then rushes to catch up to him. Rude stops in front of his own door, digs around in his pocket and closes a small item in Reno’s hand. “Ten PM,” he says, and then disappears into his place.

Reno stares at his palm, and all he can hear is the sound of blood crashing through his body like he’s been hit by Leviathan.

It’s Rude’s spare key.

Plans.

At ten.

 _We_.

Reno scrambles into his own place, hanging that key up like it’s the holy grail. He rushes into the bathroom to shower, and then slows down when he actually stares at himself in the mirror. What is this going to be? And does Reno actually want whatever it is he’s offering?

Does he _not_ want it, though?

This _thing_ , Reno realizes, is fulfilling a darker desire for Rude, and that’s all it is. Reno is just a way to make fucking his girlfriend more fun. And honestly, Reno is more than okay with that. Part of him wants to actually get to know her better, but knowing more than her name and her O face seems like a good way to take the fun out of this. This feels like watching him fuck a stranger, and that gives Reno a thrill. Especially now that this time, Rude will know.

Will that turn him on?

Reno slides into the shower, mouth slipping into a half smirk as he pictures Rude glancing over his shoulder when he’s balls deep. Wonder if he’s thinking about Reno coming all over himself like before. He lifts his head out of the spray of water, not realizing he’d been holding his breath and touching himself. He coughs hard, and then laughs, letting go of his dick. No reason to waste the horny now, and just settles into a thorough grooming routine.

He eats takeout for dinner, hangs upside-down off his couch, and barely pays attention to a fuzzy, dated sitcom. He re-arranges his sparse bookcase. He drinks a beer. He takes out his garbage. He looks at the clock. Nine. He swears under his breath at how slow time seems to be going.

He dresses a bit more comfortably — no noisy pants or jackets, only a soft t-shirt and sweats. Easier to be quiet when there’s nothing to fuck around with. He’s getting too antsy to stay here any more, though, and grabs his both sets of keys. He curses his own keyring’s noisy jingling as he locks his door, and then slips the very solitary and quiet key into Rude’s door. It’s quiet and dark inside, other than one light coming from the bedroom.

Reno swallows, drawn to it, a moth to a flame.

The closet door is open. There’s a pillow on the floor, a stretchy toy, a condom, and a note.

_Turn off the lights. Wait for us. Leave it open like before. Don’t cum until you’re with me._

Reno moans as he crumples the note in his hand. He has half a mind to eat the damn thing, like he’s on a spy mission. He back tracks to to turn the light off, and then realizes miserably that he’s forgotten his phone, so he doesn’t have a flashlight — or any way to entertain himself while he waits. He just carefully steps forward until his socked feet meet the cushion, and then settles down into it as he closes the door most of the way.

He picks up the toy: a squishy, but clean little item that stretched when he stuck a finger inside it. There’s lots of little textured divots inside, and he bites his cheek to keep himself from laughing at the idea of Rude having a toy like this. Though it looks, or feels, unused. Which may explain the condom, he realizes, picking it up and squinting at it. Still too dark to see, but he suspects that a lubricated condom is the only source of lube a pussy-soaked chad like Rude would own. He rolls his eyes and does finally laugh at that, though he can’t fault the man.

He sighs, dropping the toy on his lap over the broad stretched plane of his sweats. Now he waits. Hell, he doesn’t even know how close it is to ten. Had he come over too early? Was he going to lose his mind, or _worse_ , fall asleep before they even got there?

And then he hears the door twist open and freezes. Rude knows he’s there, because Rude is shaking his keys like he’s trying to lure out a damn dog instead of quietly tucking them into his pocket. His date this evening is definitely the same girl, Tifa, because he can hear her talk about her sore feet. There’s a sharp thump and no more foot steps, and Reno struggles to focus in and listen for shifting bodies. They’ve stopped just outside the bedroom, he thinks, like Rude has her pressed against a wall. He listens, thinks he can hear her voice muffled by him.

Reno takes in one huge, deep breath, and then slowly exhales to relax as they move into the bedroom. Rude’s hand slaps the light switch, and Reno can see her in another ridiculous short outfit. This time it’s a little kimono, and her hair is drawn up so that her pale neck is exposed. She’s cute like this, with long bare legs sticking out from the short hem of the skirt — and they’re wrapped around Rude. He’s carrying her, on account of those barking dogs, Reno thinks, but it just means he can focus in on Rude.

He’s quite casual in comparison to her, in a half-opened button down and actual _jeans_ that hug his thighs. He looks like the kind of guy who’d slap your ass and buy you a drink, though for Reno that may be wishful thinking.

There’s less chatter today, but Rude seems impatient. Is it because Reno’s there, watching them, and he can feel the heat of his gaze? Or is it because he hasn’t gotten his dick wet in more than a week? Rude walks her over to the bed, though they’re still on the opposite side of the bed from him. “You sure you’re not mad?” Rude murmurs, and Reno’s mind clears like he tuned into the right radio station.

“Just wish you woulda told me before we got back,” she replies. Rude throws her playfully onto the bed, and leans down to kiss her as he starts to unwrap her from her dress.

“I forgot. I’ll buy some more when I take you home tomorrow, yeah?” He’s pushing the kimono off her narrow shoulders. “I promise I’ll make it up to you, baby. You can ride my face as long as you want.”

Reno feels his cock harden instantly. Rude’s got mouth on him that’s sweet _and_ sleazy. For some reason that is really revving Reno’s engine. He rests his palm against the warm curve in his sweats, not letting him do anything serious yet.

“Why does this feel like a ploy for me to blow you?” she asks as she unfastens her own bra. Rude has stepped away from that side of the bed to approach the closet, and Reno feels his pulse spike. Rude’s unfastening his cuffs and unbuttoning his shirt, and Reno realizes he’s going to actually open the closet door. He’s frozen in aroused fear. Is he just going to expose him here and now? Is this a punishment? Is Reno _a fucking idiot_?

He dares look up and sees Rude making naked eye contact with him. Reno chokes on a gasp, mouth open but utterly silent. Rude’s eyes are searing hot, and he simply steps up to the closet and barely opens it another inch or two to throw his shirt and undershirt into a hamper that’s somewhere next to Reno. All Reno can see is Rude’s denim-clad bulge inches from his face. Reno’s tempted to out _himself_ if it means he can suck Rude off again. Reno can see his cock get harder like this, like it knows what it really wants and it’s right in front of him.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Rude says, and it’s loud enough that it’s for Tifa, but it _feels_ like it’s for Reno. Then Rude closes the door back to its original position and turns away from him. “But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want your mouth.” He’s unfastening his pants, turned away from Reno, and Reno feels a pang of longing at missing out on the visuals. Rude’s bare hands working open his pants feels like something special, and Reno’s mouth waters for it. Instead he watches Rude slowly approach the bed, stripping down so that as he bends to pull off his pants, Reno gets a particularly nice view of his muscular ass. Just past Rude’s broad body he can see Tifa has stripped completely. 

Tifa tuts at him, and Rude actually falls onto his back on the bed, his head closer to the other side of the bed. He taps his shoulders, and Reno doesn’t have to see his face to know he’s smirking. To Reno’s surprise, she settles above Rude so that she’s facing away from the closet. Reno feels himself loosen up at the realization that he can look without fear, as all her attention seems to be focused on Rude’s mouth.

Not that he blames her, but this means that Reno is free to gaze at Rude’s heavy cock. He has one hand wrapped around one of her thighs, but the other is teasing himself. Every little movement causes Rude’s hips to twitch and shake, and it takes all of Reno’s willpower not to throw himself out of the closet and deep throat the damn thing.

Instead he just slides his hand into his sweats and bites his lip. He’s so hard, and he’s not allowed to come. And he doesn’t have any idea how long it will take Tifa to even get off. Reno could be sitting in that closet for forty five minutes before Rude _let_ him come. But just watching Rude’s fingers twitch in needy arousal around himself feels like a treat in itself. He doesn’t know what he’s going to receive, if Rude’s going to suck him off — fuck him? He did give Reno a condom, after all.

And then, it strikes Reno that he’d specifically told her he was out. That they couldn’t fuck. That he’s hidden the likely last condom in his closet so he has an excuse not to fuck her. Reno isn’t even sure what Rude has planned, but he has to let go of his own cock this instant before he comes despite himself.

Rude doesn’t seem much better. He’s had to let go of himself, dark and hard and strained against the long ridges of his abs. Without touching himself, he can use the other hand on Tifa, and her voice raises a bit more. Reno watches her reach down for his head and imagines her shoving a little further into his mouth, forcing Rude to take it. He must like it, since he moans and his cock twitches again. 

Rude must be good at it, but Tifa seems to be in control, here. She arches her hips up away from him and lowers herself back down again. Rude sticks out his tongue, and she rides it as if to tease him. Reno’s got a certain preference for men, but the way she takes what she wants makes him want to be in Rude’s place. She tilts her hips and rubs them forward into Rude’s lips. Her voice rises, and Reno feels his balls tighten. She’s using Rude the way Rude used _him_. He struggles to readjust himself, and instead finally just focuses on getting his sweats off as quietly as possible. It’s precarious, because he gets distracted when she cries out, but at least she makes enough noise while she comes that it covers up any of his own.

Tifa moans and Reno just gets himself settled with his legs spread and knees bent. He picks up the condom, letting the ragged foil edge slide over his calloused thumb. Why not use what he was given, after all?

Rude hums when Tifa’s hips raise. Rude is breathing hard, like he’d been using all his strength in the movements of his mouth and he was exhausted by it. Reno wants to be at the mercy of all that energy. He rips the condom open, and it _is_ lubricated. But, should he use the toy, or just finger himself with the condom on?

“You giving up?” Tifa asks, and presses back down against Rude’s face. He just chuckles, and leans his head up to suck at her tender parts. She squeaks out a laugh, and falls to the side. “Okay, maybe I’m done,” she says, and rolls on the bed with legs clenched tightly together.

Rude sits up, sliding one big hand over the curve of her hip and behind, squeezing. “Done for the evening, or…?”

She laughs, and sits up. “That wouldn’t be very fair, would it?”

“Not about being fair,” Rude says and smiles indulgently at her. Reno scrunches his nose. He doesn’t care about _this_ stuff.

“Where do you want me?” she says instead, and Reno nods his approval. At least _someone_ is trying to get Rude off, if his dumb ass wouldn’t do it himself.

Rude looks thoughtful, and Reno has to give him credit for his acting skills. Rude scoots to the edge of the bed — closest to Reno — and throws his legs over the edge. “On your knees.”

Tifa gives him a little smile as she moves to just that position, settled between Rude’s legs as she kneels on the floor. Reno isn’t sure why this is what Rude’s chosen. Reno can’t see a damn thing other than Tifa’s admittedly ample rear. Even with all her hair up, Reno can’t get eyes on the cock he wants.

But that’s when he realizes Rude has his hands in Tifa’s hair, and he’s looking directly at Reno.

Reno, with his legs spread and two fingers inside a condom in his ass. Reno can see the expression change on Rude’s face, from calm dominance to painfully turned on. That _noise_ he’d made when Reno had asked for him to use him, to spurt down his throat. Reno fingers himself a little faster, keeping his other hand off of his dick. He has to wait.

“Oh, fuck,” Rude says, and Reno feels it in his balls. “That’s good, baby.” Reno barely even registers Tifa’s head moving up and down in Rude’s lap. He and Rude are staring at each other, and Rude is talking _to him_. He presses the fingers deeper inside, curling them deep and letting his face display just how good that feels.

Rude glances down at his date, and he looks smug. Spoiled. “Can you take a little more for me, baby?” he asks, and Reno can hear Tifa struggle on that cock, but Reno takes it as a personal order. He slides a third finger into the condom into his ass, and Rude hisses at the sight.

Reno looks at his shoulders, his arms, his thighs, his eyes. There’s tension singing between them, and Reno can hardly stand it. He changes his balance so that he can slide a hand up his shirt and pinch a nipple, and decides to blow a kiss in Rude’s direction.

He lets out a hot little laugh that blends into a moan. “I’m—gonna,” he gasps suddenly, and Reno sees Tifa’s head pull off in surprise as she asks, “Wha?”

Reno is honestly just as surprised as her when Rude comes, though it’s a bit more surprise for Tifa when it lands across her eye and then mostly in her hair. “F-fu-uck,” Rude hisses, and seems genuinely shocked that he’s slimed her in the damn eye. “Sorry, shit..!”

Tifa leans back, whining. “Seriously? My eye?” She sounds pissed. Reno is still rock hard. “What the fuck?”

“I just—sorry,” he says, laughing, and reaches out for her hair. She recoils a bit, standing up. One eye is still closed. “I’m gonna go shower this off. _Alone_ , thanks,” she adds. Oh _no_ , Reno thinks with a widening smirk. Poor Rude’s in the dog house.

She even slams the bathroom door and Rude barely represses his growl. “Over here. Now.”

Reno pulls his fingers out and starts to crawl over, but when he’s within half a meter of the bed Rude just yanks him up into his lap by the arm. Reno lets out a soft moan as his ass settles on Rude’s cock, still stiff from its orgasm. They’re both breathing hard. Rude finally says, “Touch yourself for me.”

Reno can’t even be disappointed. He’s so turned on, and touching Rude’s skin like this, that he’s happy to take the order. He scoots a little closer so that as his hand wraps around himself and starts sliding up and down fast, his knuckles brush Rude’s flexed abs.

“Your fingers in your ass drove me nuts,” Rude whispers, his gaze stuck to the sight of Reno’s pink cockhead moving in and out of his fist. “You like that? Having something inside?”

“Yeah,” Reno whispers back, and can’t even laugh at Rude’s line of questioning. He’s too turned on.

“You look like you take it like a dream,” Rude says, and Reno moans out loud. He can feel his face growing pink, but he doesn’t even care. He can _feel_ Rude’s cock twitching with interest against him. That refractory period is unreal, and Reno knows it’s because Rude wants _him_. Reno feels Rude meet his gaze, and Reno lets out a hot sob. “Would you like that?”

“If-f you fucked me?” Reno asks, and he knows he’s got ten seconds left, max.

“Yeah,” Rude says, and they’re so fucking close.

“Fuck _yes_.” Reno could kiss him. He doesn’t, though he does use his free hand to hold onto Rude’s arm as he shoots his load all over Rude’s chest. His eyes are shut, but he can feel Rude’s gaze, his hot hands on Reno’s back and thigh.

“Next time,” Rude says when the haze settles.

The shower shuts off, and Reno feels a stab of panic. Rude does too, and for one amusing, glorious moment they get a thrill like boys about to be caught doing something very naughty. Instead, Rude pushes Reno off of his lap, and Reno barely catches himself. “Take off your shirt,” Rude says, and though it’s gruff, it’s not nearly the same fury he’d had before. Reno feels the excitement thrum in his chest.

“Are you kidding me?” Reno says, but does as he’s told, pulling it off lickety split.

Rude throws the closet open and yanks the t-shirt from Reno’s hands. He pulls out his robe and throws it at Reno, even as he cleans Reno’s spunk from his body with his partner’s shirt.

“Your robe?” Reno hisses, and it’s turning into a snake-like giggle. This is absolutely fucking ridiculous.

“We’ll trade off later,” Rude says, and gives the soiled t-shirt back to Reno. He grabs Reno’s ridiculous jangly keyring from the floor of the closet and hands that off, too. “Now get the fuck out of here.”

It’s _much_ more full of warm promise than last time, too. Reno is nearly giggling when he bolts out of the place, holding the robe shut with his hands and his cum-rag of a shirt under his arm.

The door shuts and moments later he hears, “I’m _sorry_ , baby, I swear!” and then Reno nearly jumps to his apartment next door.

When he shuts the door behind him, he’s buzzing. This time, the feeling is disturbingly familiar: he doesn’t know what the hell he’s done, but by god, is he glad he has. He falls into his own bed and just the scent from Rude’s robe has him frantically jerking off again at the prospect of _Next time._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: someone gets Sleep cast on them directly after sex.

It’s not _bad_ , necessarily, but everything is a lot more _tense._

They don’t do anything that they didn’t do before. Reno makes a lot of innuendos, and Rude just scoffs quietly at him. Only this time, they’ll glance at each other and Reno will swear there’s a _look_ on Rude’s face, even with the sunglasses in place.

Then Rude will look somewhere else and the moment disappears. Reno has already popped a stress ball this week, which was a relief since he had to spend a half an hour on his knees scrubbing the floor. At least until he caught Rude _watching_ him, and then Reno had had to finish cleaning up the mess with a half chub.

Five days after their last _private encounter_ , Reno finally knocked on Rude’s door with the freshly laundered robe. The last thing he wanted to do was admit he’d been wearing it until the familiar scent of Rude had faded. Instead he just stood in the doorway with an embarrassed look on his face, admitting that he’d simply forgotten about it.

And that’s how Reno ends up on Rude’s couch. It’s not like it’s an unusual place for him to be. They frequently drink together, reminisce, watch movies. It’s always been a close relationship with strongly placed boundaries.

Even now, Rude is as far away as he can be on the opposite end of the couch. Reno can’t help but feel an odd tug in his gut at that. Without the thrill of his girl around, Rude is just as standoffish as before.

Reno wants to think he knows what it is he signed up for, but he’d honestly been thrown into something more than he’d expected with all of this. And it was only made worse by Rude’s careful sidestepping of it. They hadn’t put down any ground rules. They hadn’t kissed — hell, Rude’s never even laid a hand on his dick and he’s already interested in fucking him.

They know something has to give. They’re clutching the highball glasses Rude filled, staring into the scotch like it’ll answer the question they’re not asking.

Reno’s at the point where he’s going to burst when Rude says, “Reno, I wanted to… Ask.” He’s glad he didn’t take another sip of his drink, because Reno would have choked.

“Sure,” Reno says, and prays he’s going to get something productive out of whatever comes out of Rude’s mouth. Who’s he kidding, he’s praying that Rude will descend on him, kiss him, press him into this couch until they can’t breathe.

“Can…” Rude is struggling to get the words out of his mouth. His cheeks are dark. Reno is desperate to know what he’s trying to spit out. “The next time, Reno, can I bind your hands?”

Whatever he’s expecting, it’s not that. There’s a strange feeling of disappointment bubbling in him that it’s about the next _session_ , the next little play date, not, ‘Can I kiss you right now?’ or even ‘Can you jerk off in my lap again?’

“You wanna tie me up,” Reno says in mild disbelief. “I thought you… Ah…” God, why is Reno embarrassed now? He’s fucked his way through more awkward situations than this and never stuttered. Yet with Rude a few meters away, he’s barely able to formulate a sentence. “Thought you wanted to fuck me, next time.”

Rude says, “I do!” quickly enough that Reno wants to shake him. “You need your hands for that?”

“No offense, but you’re impatient and I don’t think you’ve ever stretched anybody out before, since every woman who’s ever run into you gets instantly wet from those fuckin’ pheromones,” Reno says, and finds himself laughing nervously. He sucks down the drink now, wincing. “If I can’t prep myself while you’re otherwise engaged…”

Rude pulls his shades off. Reno tries not to stare, and fails. “Can’t do it beforehand?”

“And stay loosened up? Nah. Need a buttplug for that or something.”

Rude’s mouth works. “Why not that?”

Reno feels his pulse hammer in his throat. “What you’re asking is for you to be there,” Reno says slowly, his voice quiet, “while I work myself open, put in a plug, and then you’d bind my hands, and _then_ wait for you to come back? What if I’m there for an hour?” Reno frowns. “What if you die on the way there and I’m fuckin handcuffed in your closet with a plug up my ass?”

“Are you not interested?” Rude asks, and Reno swears he can hear the other man’s voice trembling.

“Course I am.” Reno turns so he’s not looking at Rude any more, staring straight forward at the wall. “There’s just as lot of variables,” he utters, and swallows down another sharp gulp of the drink.

Rude is thinking: his toes are tapping in that way he does when he has to concentrate. Reno almost finds it funny that they’re building a plan like they would for a mission. “I could invite her here,” Rude says. “That way we can setup before she arrives, and I never leave.” Reno still can’t look at him, and he isn’t ready to examine why that is. “No chance for me to die on the way out and leave you stranded.” The light smirk to his voice is audible.

Reno squeezes his eyes shut. There’s all sorts of issues with this. He doesn’t want to get fucked for five minutes, desperately trying to finish before she’s out of the shower, again. He doesn’t want to give Rude this much control over him. He doesn’t want to keep waking up in the middle of the night, pressing a hand to the wall and feeling stuff he only lets himself feel at 3 AM.

But he _does_ want his straight partner to fuck him so badly that his judgment is very clouded. He polishes off the drink. “When,” he croaks.

“Thursday,” he says. “Be here at seven thirty.”

“Early this time, huh?” Reno asks despite himself. “Gonna have her there a long ass time.”

“She usually doesn’t stay,” Rude says with a sigh. “Even last time she left early. She was more mad than I’d thought.”

“Why, ‘cause you’re a fucking eyeball targeting cum sniper?” Reno actually turns to look at him, and Rude meets his gaze. Rude presses his lips together and nods, and his shoulders shake. Reno can’t help it, a snorting laugh ripping out of the back of his throat. Rude is laughing too, even though it’s clear he feels bad about it. It feels good, the tension easing out of Reno’s twisted chest. Still, he shoots up to his feet.

“Well, it’s a date, then,” he says, and hates the words when they come out of his mouth. He stretches, an exaggerated gesture. “Anyway, I’ve got yesterday’s Wutaian food waiting for me, so.” He can’t look at Rude. Doesn’t want to see relief on his face (or some other emotion), so instead just heads for the door. “Remind me, yeah?”

Rude stands up quickly to send him off. “Sure,” he says. Reno feels his eyes on him as he disappears out the door.

The game is getting out of hand, he thinks at first.

I need to buy a new butt plug, he thinks next.

* * *

“Brought you a present,” Reno says as he shoulders into Rude’s apartment on a Thursday. Rude still has his shades on, but otherwise he’s changed out of his suit and into more comfortable clothes, a t-shirt and jeans, and seems almost taken aback by the plastic bag in Reno’s hands.

“How thoughtful,” Rude chides instead, and Reno just rolls his eyes.

“C’mon. Let’s do this while I’m still not panicking,” Reno says, and walks straight to Rude’s bedroom.

Rude is struck silent at first. “You don’t want a drink?” he asks, but follows Reno like a lost puppy nonetheless.

“I just spent half an hour in a shower and already took a shot of vodka,” Reno says, dumping the bag out onto the bed. Only two items: a sizeable bottle of name brand clear lube and a boring black butt plug. “If we don’t do this now, I’ll die of nerves.”

Rude leans against the doorjamb, watching Reno with an unreadable expression. When Reno glances over his shoulder, he thinks Rude almost looks soft, which does nothing to help Reno’s antsy disposition. “And take off your damn sunglasses,” he huffs.

This time, Rude’s mouth splits into a grin. “Why?”

“Otherwise this is gonna feel real god damn medical, which is a real boner killer for me.” Reno rolls his eyes, wriggling out of his long-sleeved tee. “You’ll have to find somebody else for _that_ fetish.” Reno’s entire body is one tightly coiled spring, not that he wants to let Rude know that. But Rude chuckles, and Reno feels a bit of the tension ease.

“Fair enough,” Rude says. He pulls the sunglasses off, sets them on his bedside table. His warm eyes meet Reno’s as Reno starts to unfasten his pants, and Reno feels his cheeks grow hot. “Wouldn’t want it to feel _clinical_.” Rude’s voice is warm with amusement, and Reno feels himself getting more turned on just from the sheer absurdity of what they’re about to do.

Reno pushes his pants down and then he’s just standing there in tight blue briefs, the color purposely reminiscent of the underwear Tifa had been wearing that first time. Rude looks stoic, even if Reno can see the tips of his ears darkening and giving away more than he’d like.

Reno clears his throat. “Where, um…”

Rude glances at the edge of the bed. He looks like he’s a little strained. Reno at least tries to take it as flattery and not as awkwardness. Reno settles on his hands and knees on the mattress, but reaches down to toss the bottle at Rude. “It’s new,” he says. “Open the seal for me.”

Rude nods, though the first thing he does is come up behind Reno. Reno lets out an excited puff of breath, cock already getting hard. This is either a really good idea, or a very, very stupid one, and it’s too late to back out now. Rude’s fingers curl into the waistband of his briefs and Reno has to hold his breath so he doesn’t do something embarrassing like moan and beg for his cock _now_.

Reno feels his underwear sliding down his thighs to his knees, and then the hot touch of Rude’s breath on his thigh as he leans down to remove them from his legs altogether. Reno’s about to beg for it when suddenly the first dollop of icy cold lube lands on his ass; he cries out with a laugh, falling forward as one hand lunges back to stop the lube from just sliding down and off his balls. “Jeez, Rude,” he chuckles, trying not to be self conscious. “Shit’s cold.”

Rude has gone very quiet, though he does murmur, “Sorry.”

“Dick,” Reno teases, and then shuts his eyes. Rude is behind him, standing, and Reno has no idea where he’s looking. Reno could hazard a guess. Instead he just lets one finger circle his hole. They have time, so he goes slowly, dipping his fingertip in and out. He waits for Rude to tell him to hurry up or make a cutting remark, but he is quiet, save for slightly ragged breaths. That alone encourages Reno to press that first finger in deeper.

Reno feels the urge to fill the air with his voice, but he can’t think of anything to say. Instead he just lets out a long breath as he buries his finger in to the knuckle and drops to his elbow, face pressing into the blanket. He takes in a long breath, dizzy with that scent that had been on the bath robe. Before he knows it he’s sliding his second finger in. He can’t stop the soft whimpers from passing his lips, seeking out his own pleasure a little more than needed to stretch himself. But he feels the heat of Rude’s body behind him, and his voice turns into a drawn-out moan as he feels Rude’s fingertips ghost up the backs of his thighs.

Reno wants Rude’s fingers inside him, around his cock, _anything_ , but instead he’s hovering just out of his periphery. It forces Reno to calm down and try to focus. He licks his lips and says, “Give me a little more lube. Warm it up, f-first.” Only a little bit of a shivering stutter; he’d live with that.

Rude just grunts in the affirmative. Reno waits, slowly spreading his index and middle fingers inside to calm himself down. The lube top snaps open, and then a nervous thirty seconds later, Rude’s hand hovers above Reno’s, hovering a few inches above his hole, and lets the warmed lube slip down between Reno’s fingers.

Reno slides in the third finger without a sound. He’s grinding his teeth just a little to keep himself from saying anything else. With three fingers, he’s more focused on the actual stretching, his hand moving and twisting as it works himself over. Rude isn’t touching him, other than the occasional glancing touch of those fingertips against his thighs.

“Rude,” he whispers, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. “S-slick up the plug and. Hand it to me.” Reno’s fingers slide out. He’s particularly clean, knowing this was coming, and he’s glad he made the extra effort. He listens to the sound of Rude’s fingers wetting the entire plug, and then feels the warmed, slippery silicon placed in his hand.

“That enough?” Rude rasps, and Reno hopes to god he isn’t dripping precum on Rude’s bed. That would be pretty damn suspicious for his date to find.

“Let’s find out,” Reno says, and he’s impressed at how laid back he sounds. He presses the soft tip against the wet pucker of his ass and bites his grinning lip at how easy it’s sliding in. “Oh, fuck.”

Rude’s breathing is much faster, and Reno hears him whisper, “Wow.”

“God, it’s been a while,” Reno laughs, and it melts into a gasp as he feels Rude’s fingers land on one ass cheek. Then there’s added pressure on the plug, like Rude’s thumb is on the base of it, pressing it forward. “Do you like it?” Reno rambles, his cheeks hot.

Rude still sounds wrecked. “God, yes.”

“Almost there,” Reno huffs, and then holds his breath as he takes in the widest point of the plug before it settles and disappears inside him. Only the flared base of the plug remains visible, pressed tightly against his skin with the help of Rude’s thumb. “Ahh, _fuck_.”

“Shit,” Rude whispers, as though he can’t believe what he’s seen. Finally the pressure lessens and Reno’s legs slowly press together to adjust to the feeling of being filled up. He pushes himself up and looks over his shoulder at Rude, and Reno’s face grows into a predatory grin.

Rude can _not_ take his eyes off of Reno’s ass. Reno wiggles it a bit to tempt him, and he swears he can hear Rude make a tiny growl.

“Well?” Reno asks, and then pushes himself up so that he’s kneeling, still facing away. In this position the secret of the plug vanishes. Reno’s cock is standing straight up, but he knows it’s about to get ignored. He holds his arms behind him, forearms crossed on top of each other in a showing of flexibility. “You got cuffs, or what?”

Rude takes a long moment to respond. “Right,” is all he says, and steps away from the bed to head to the closet. He easily snags the wrist restraints, and when he turns he can see just how turned on Reno is. “Damn. You really do like that.”

Reno’s eyes flicker elsewhere. “Feels better when it’s somebody else doin’ it, but we made do.” He feels Rude approach him from behind again, and this time Rude lays a hand on him properly to pull his wrists out. He eases him into the restraints, but all Reno can feel are Rude’s warm palms holding his forearms. His cock twitches.

“There,” Rude says. Reno feels Rude’s thumb trace tentatively across the meat of his palm, and then steps away completely.

Reno rolls his shoulders and then shimmies off the bed, trying not to feel embarrassed that he’s being tied up, plugged up and cuckolded. He reminds himself it’s hot, and that there’s nothing emotionally at stake. He still feels a strange bolt of jealousy hit him when there’s a knock at the door.

Rude ushers him into the closet and to the floor. He tosses Reno’s clothes in with him, and then leans down. “Whatever you hear,” Rude says all too softly, “it’s meant for you.” Then he closes the closet door completely, and Reno is left shut in the dark.

“ _What!?_ ” he hisses. That wasn’t the deal! He’s almost tempted to kick at the door except he can hear, distantly, the sound of Rude opening his front door and schmoozing up the girl. He resigns himself to his dark prison with nothing to look at and barely scraps to listen to. Most of the time when Rude brings her home, it’s to get directly to the fucking, but this time, it’s the start of their evening. Is she just going to want to get comfortable with a couple cocktails first? Reno thinks about the last time Rude made him an Old Fashioned, with the orange peel and dash of bitters and the over-sized novelty ice cube. Rude makes a mean cocktail, when it’s intended to be savored with a friend—

There’s a thump at the bed, and Reno’s eyes widen. They’re already to it. He can’t hear Tifa at first, until it sounds like her voice is muffled by skin, like she’s moaning into his chest, or something. Trying to imagine whatever is going on out there is taking some of the fun out of it, but he just shuts his eyes and tries to focus for potentially good sounds.

He hears his first: a slurp, followed by Rude’s voice, rumbly but loud enough for Reno to hear crystal clear. “That’s right, make them wet.” Reno bites his lip, imagining he just had Rude’s fingers in his mouth, so that he can prepare to have them in his ass instead.

The next pleasing sound is definitely fingers slamming wetly into a warm, waiting hole, and Reno sighs, clenching around the plug in his ass. His flagging erection begins to fill again as he pictures Rude above him, working two fingers into him. He can hear Tifa’s muffled voice again, and realizes Rude just has his hand over her mouth, though what little moans he can hear sound very interested. “Gonna be so tight for me,” Rude says, and Reno nearly purrs. He’ll be stretched from the plug, but still a huge difference from a woman. “I’ve been thinking about this nonstop.” Reno’s fingers clench and curl in the restraints. “Can’t wait to be inside you.”

_Whatever you hear, it’s meant for you._

There’s the sound of fabric shifting and a lot of wet, sloppy kissing. Her voice is more audible now, and she’s certainly eager, though Reno is zeroing in on Rude’s occasionally huffed breath. Then he hears the crinkle of a condom wrapper and tugs on his own cuffs without realizing it. God, he wants to touch himself. Rude’s hips pistoning in and out is one of his favorite sights, and he’s going to miss it.

There’s a moment of silence, other than her voice letting out a soft moan, and then Reno gets treated to it: the rhythmic, wet slap of Rude pounding. Reno’s body is covered in goosebumps at the thought, blood rushing to his dick as it twitches. He wants to see it, but the sound is lighting his imagination on fire. He can be the one under him here. He doesn’t even know how Rude’s going to fuck him after fucking her so quickly; imagination fucking may be all he gets now that it’s genuinely happening. Tifa’s moans grow louder, and then they’re muffled again by one of those big hands.

“I’ve needed it so bad,” Rude says, and Reno feels an actual drop of precum slip off of his cock. He’s so turned on and almost irritated that he’s going to get blue balled for so long in exchange for what is most likely going to be a cursory hand job. It’s infuriating that he’s turned on and _getting mad_. How counter productive could he be? It goes on for a while longer yet, until they stop again. There’s more shuffling of bodies, kissing, someone being flipped over, and then rapidly hammering again, even faster than before. Tifa’s moans are deeper, like this position is _really_ hitting the spot, and Rude doesn’t talk, but he does grunt with the effort. She sounds soaked, the sounds lighting up the pleasure centers of Reno’s brain even as his anger grows.

He’s taken his hand off her mouth, because her noises are constant now — she’s close, and Reno’s mood has swung straight into jealousy. He’s the one who got Rude all warmed up for her, and he’s going to get limp leftovers. It’s no fair. He doesn’t even want to listen to her come, even though it’s very loud and obvious when she does.

And then it gets very quiet. Eerily quiet. Reno freezes, wondering if he made a noise and if she suddenly stopped him. But then there’s more shifting of legs and sheets. Feet stomping on the floor, then the door is yanked open. Reno hisses, pupils contracting instantly to the light of the room. He doesn’t even see Rude at first, eyes zoomed in on Tifa, face down in the bed, softly snoring.

“Eh..!?” he grunts, before Rude is dropping to his knees and yanking on Reno by the arm.

“Need you,” Rude pants. Reno gasps, being pulled forward and nearly falling into Rude. Reno’s eyes stare downward at the condom on Rude’s cock: empty. A flood of excitement almost knocks Reno on his ass, but instead he just hobbles outward.

“Ok, but untie my hands,” Reno whispers. “I’m suffering.” Rude’s eyes flash as he pulls Reno out onto the floor, and pushes him down to his face. He’s still on his knees, ass sticking up proudly, and Reno lets out a gruff laugh. “Come on, now.”

Rude’s big hands, twice as hot as they were before, land on his wrists and fumbles with the restraints to unfasten them. Reno groans, hands flying out to his sides to push himself up. Rude’s fingers clutch at the plug suddenly, and Reno squeezes his eyes shut to focus on relaxing. It’s not enough and Rude pulls too quickly, leaving his hole awkwardly gaping. “Fu-uck… Rude, _please_ ,” Reno whimpers, still too afraid of waking up Tifa.

“Reno,” Rude says at a normal volume, and then Reno sees the condom land on the floor next to his hand. “Can I…”

Reno can’t think straight, because all he can feel is Rude’s thighs lined up behind his own, the heat coming off of his cock enough to make Reno swoon. “More lube,” he gasps. “Hurry up.”

Rude reaches over him to find the bottle that had rolled off the side of the bed. He squirts it directly onto Reno’s hole, and while it’s ice cold, this time it soothes the aching flesh. Reno’s desire has reached fever pitch and nobody has touched his cock all night, not even himself.

“Can I fuck you bare?” Rude asks, finishing his thought this time. Reno feels the tip of Rude’s cock at his hole and _even_ if he’d had a problem with it, he would have said yes. But he doesn’t have an issue. They’ve accidentally swallowed each other’s blood the way women swallow their own lipstick. It’s just a part of their day job. They’ve already swapped more dangerous bodily fluids. Reno doesn’t care. As a matter of fact, he prefers it. The girl in the bed didn’t earn his bare cock, but Reno has.

“Fuck, yes, _hurry_ ,” Reno says, voice louder now, “ _the fuck_ ,” his eyes shift up and see that she’s still asleep, “ _up!_ ”

Then it’s much harder to say anything else, because Rude’s cock is pressing into him. It’s too fast, but Reno’s voice is caught in his throat, his elbows giving out. He falls forward, his cheek hitting the carpet, as his ass desperately tries to get closer to Rude’s cock. He’s huge. Reno knows this, but _feeling_ it is something else entirely, and so hard. “Oh, _fuck_.”

Rude seems to agree, the only noise coming from him the heavy breaths of exertion. He bottoms out and stops. “Christ, Reno,” he moans, and his hands land on Reno’s hips. Reno’s fingers curl into the carpet and a thrill zips through him. “You’re tight as hell.”

Reno’s grin is smothered in the floor. “You like it more than what you just had?” He has to ask. He’d had such a flare up of jealousy, he just wants to know.

He’s expecting _‘It’s just not the same thing,’_ or some other diplomatic answer, but not what Rude actually growls as he pulls out and then slams back in. “Fuck, yes, I do,” Rude says, and then Reno can’t take restraining himself any more. His cock is aching and his ass is _full_ , and Rude, his _partner, Rude_ , is fucking him hard enough that he’s going to get rug burn on his knees.

Reno’s moans fill the room. Tifa’s out — chemically, magically or otherwise — and he’s done with trying to hold back. He eases his left hand down to touch himself and lets out a whimper at how hard he is under his own fingers. Rude is pounding into him now, and Reno wants to _see_ him more than just feel him, but he also isn’t sure he’d be able to handle the sensation of feeling him and seeing him at the same time. Just the thick cock stretching his ass is enough to destroy him.

He feels Rude’s hand at his shoulder and moans louder, his hand closing in a tight fist over his wet cock. He gasps Rude’s name, but can’t say anything else, just feels the broad plane of his hips snapping against his own faster and faster. The sound is louder, filthier, and Reno’s afraid he’s going to come too fast.

“Reno,” Rude says, and then just moans deeply as he buries his cock in him three, four more times. Then his fingers tighten painfully on Reno’s hip and shoulder as he’s crushed up against him. Reno feels it more than hears it, now, every pulse of Rude’s cum filling him. It’s hot and unbearably intimate, and Reno’s hand moves hard and fast so that he can follow after him. He tries to catch it in his hand as he spurts, but his clenching causes Rude to gasp and growl, and fuck him through Reno’s tingling orgasm.

Reno’s mind feels full of static or nerves, out of breath and sticky. He’s knocked out of his reverie only when Rude’s cock slips out of him and he feels the embarrassment of a huge load leaking out of him. “Shit,” he whispers, trying to push himself up on his right hand while still avoiding touching his cum covered hand to anything else.

“Hang on,” Rude whispers, and Reno feels him get up and away. Reno falls onto his side and then just rolls onto his back, so that he can see as Rude, sweat slick and naked, approaches him with a hand towel. The sight of him makes him feel like he’s shot through the heart. Rude tosses the towel at him and, unfortunately, does not join him back on the floor. Reno cleans off his hand and gives his tender ass a cursory wipe, but Rude is pacing across the room.

Reno knows that’s about what he expected, so he tries to stand up, but his legs are just as wobbly as the rest of him. He focuses on sitting up, even on his sensitive backside. “You drug her?”

“Binding materia,” Rude says, eyes landing on Reno. “Sleep.”

“That’s cold,” Reno laughs, and tries to stand up again. Rude finally comes back to him to reach down with a hand, and helps Reno to his feet. Reno swoons a little, but doesn’t let himself fall into Rude. Mainly because Rude seems to be holding him at arm’s length.

“You’re right,” Rude says. “We have to tell her.”

Reno feels his stomach drop. “We?” he sputters, and then pushes himself away from Rude, and bends down in the closet to pick up his clothes. “Ain’t no ‘we’ about it. If you want to tell her, whatever. But I’m not getting involved. I ain’t fuckin’ both of you.”

When Reno glances back at him, Rude is raising a cocky eyebrow at him, which just makes Reno annoyed like he had been earlier. “Aren’t you bi?” Rude asks.

“Doesn’t mean I’ll just put out for anybody,” Reno says, and there’s a finality to it. Which is important, because the last thing Reno wants to admit he’s just not willing to share Rude with anyone else if he can _help_ it. He shoves his arms into his shirt and pulls his head through. “Not. Interested.”

Rude gets a strange look on his face, and it’s not one Reno wants to bother with interpreting. Instead he just shoves on his pants — crucially forgetting the underwear and just hoping cum doesn’t stain his pants by the time he makes it back to his apartment — and shoulders past Rude. “You can clean the plug for me,” he says. It’s only fair, Reno thinks. He’s already cleaned Rude’s robe. And it’s clear that this was the first and last time. If one fuck made Rude want to turn tail and tell her about all of _this_ , then clearly it’s not what Reno _thought_ it was.

Which makes it all the more reason for him to haul ass out of here.

“Reno, wait,” Rude says, and Reno just shakes his head.

“Take care of your girlfriend,” Reno says, and doesn’t even turn around before he escapes the apartment. He leans against the door in the hallway, knowing Rude’s naked ass can’t follow him, and feels a burning ache in his chest that he doesn’t know what to do with.

Reno makes it to his apartment and sighs as he makes his way to the shower. “He didn’t even wanna touch my dick,” he sighs, gazing at himself in the bathroom mirror. He should have known. He’s done this before, a few times, even, and it always turns out badly. For him. “Stop fucking straight dudes, idiot.”

The shower lets him wash off Rude’s scent, and afterwards, the Cura will wash off the potential bruises on his hips and shoulder. He can’t bear to feel them, knowing they would be the only ones.

“It’s better this way,” he says to no one.

He sleeps on the couch, far away from their wall.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning for canon typical violence, blood, and a shitload of sex.

Rude didn’t intend for her to come back to his apartment.

The past few days have been torture. After Reno had rushed out, Rude had rinsed himself off, crawled back into the bed and dispelled the sleeping effects. Tifa didn’t seem to notice other than a casual ‘Nobody’s ever managed to do _that_ before,’ comment that Rude hadn’t even been able to crack a grin at. They chatted lazily in bed until she said she had to head back because of work, and Rude had simply stared at the ceiling in emotional discomfort.

Work was rough. Reno started off cold, and hasn’t gotten any better. They haven’t had any specific assignments, so Reno had been spending his time with literally anyone else. Rude saw his partner desperately trying to stay interested in what looked like the world’s most boring sports discussion with the two _other_ martial artist specialists; the second their gazes met, Reno’s face changed, turning on the charm that clearly implied that anyone else’s company was better than suffering through Rude’s.

He was tempted to just yank Reno aside into a room and tell him to get over himself and that Rude hadn’t done anything wrong, but they never had a spare moment alone together. The fact that their apartments were next door to each other didn’t seem to change anything, since Rude never saw Reno go in or out.

He needed a better plan, and it involved a little more introspection than he usually put into his — ugh — ‘love life’. He needed to end it with Tifa, and then he needed to figure out what had crawled up Reno’s ass.

(And while he knew it was _about_ himself, it would take more introspection than he was willing to have to realize what Reno was actually mad _for_.)

So he called Tifa. “Can I take you out for a drink?”

“No,” she said, “but you can make me one. I’m outside.”

A burst of panic. “Out…side?”

“Yeah, silly,” she said with a sweet laugh. “I think I forgot my earrings here before, and I had to come above plate anyway.”

Rude didn’t ask why or how, and simply buzzed her up, and now, she’s in his apartment and he doesn’t even want to touch her. It’s deeply uncomfortable in a way that is completely foreign to him. He is normally the suave one, the cool one, able to change the subject effortlessly, and now he’s standing in his kitchen staring into his fridge trying to decide if he should actually give her access to a glass beer bottle or not.

She’s not just sitting passively, she’s wandering his apartment like it’s a second home. It’s unnerving. Instead he pulls out two tall beer cans and offers her one, but she declines. “Did you see if I left them?” she asks, and steps into his bedroom.

He pops the tab and tries to drown out the inner voice telling him to _say it, end it_ with one long slurp. “Them?”

“My _earrings_ , Rude,” Tifa laughs in disbelief, and then her laugh stops very abruptly. Like ‘I just put you to sleep’ abruptly. (Since he knows what that sounds like.)

“Rude,” she says, and the tension is audible in her voice.

Rude tries to think of what her earrings looked like. He tries to think if he damaged them as he walks into his room and freezes. She’s there, in that white tank top and black mini skirt and knee pads and _fighting gloves_ and she’s holding up the tiny blue underwear that definitely are for men, and definitely do not fit Rude. He’s glad he’s got his sunglasses on because his pupils have shrunk to pinpricks. _Reno_ , he thinks in irritation.

“What the hell is this?” she asks. Rude tries to speak, but the briefs land on his face and half way in his open mouth. “Rude!” she shouts. “You’re _two timing me!?_ ”

The underwear falls out of his mouth. “Uhh… Are we even dating?”

That is the wrong thing to say. He knows it the second it slips out of him but it’s far too late, because now he can see _Tifa’s_ pupils have shrunk. Her eyes are now just bright red and furious, and there’s enough of a thrill of fear there that he hopes she’s about to possessively fuck him. It takes her three steps to get up in his face. He blinks slowly while his brain attempts to catch up, but then her fist is connecting with the side of his face, knocking his shades off. “You _prick_!” she shouts. “We’ve been dating for _two months_!”

Rude, to his credit, doesn’t move other than his head snapping to the side. Tifa’s strong, dangerously so, but she pulled her punch. His jaw works, and he can feel the bruise forming at his eye. He’s going to have a formidable shiner. “You never _stay_ ,” Rude says, as if that explains his confusion.

“I own a business! In the slums! That I have to run _on my own_! It’s a two hour commute back to Sector 7 on a _good day_!”

“You didn’t ever bring it up.”

She stares at him in utter shock. “You’ve never listened to a word I’ve said, have you? This is so typical. I should have known even associating with some Shinra lackey that you had to be thoughtless.”

“Look, we had better things to do than talk about your little business,” Rude says, and he _doesn’t_ realize that’s the wrong thing to say until Tifa’s hands are on his shoulders and her knee has slammed in his balls.

“Shinra trash!” she spits. She turns to leave, her quest for earrings forgotten, but Rude doesn’t even realize it. All he knows is the black hole of pain he’s being sucked into. He doesn’t even hear his apartment door slam, he just curls up like a damn bug, his hands clutching at his family jewels like it’s the last time. Christ, he’s going to piss blood for the rest of his life. They’ll have to amputate. He’s gonna die here, in his bedroom, a foot away from Reno’s underwear and — is that the butt plug under the bed?

He groans, blinking slowly, though only with one eye. The other has swelled shut. And he knows that, all things considered, he _kinda_ deserves it. “Fuck,” he croaks. He wants to pull a hand free to push himself up. He needs to find his bracer. He just needs a quick Cure. Cura, maybe. Hell, he’ll take a bag of frozen peas. But it’s hard to move. He never lets anyone get the drop on him enough to fucking smash a knee pad into his crotch.

The mere fact that he thought she was going to possessively fuck him makes him crack a grin at how badly he misread that situation. “Kill me,” he says, and then lets out a laugh that turns into a sharp grimace. Laughing hurts. Bad choice.

“Damn, you look like shit,” he hears, and flinches in the direction of Reno’s voice. Reno must have let himself in, and is standing in his doorway with the unopened can of beer he’d left on his kitchen counter and, hilariously, that bag of frozen peas he’d been dreaming of. “Heard the yelling, didn’t expect this.”

“Cura,” Rude groans out, and pushes himself up on one arm. “Bracer’s—in the living room.”

The bag of peas is thrown at him. It lands on his chest hard enough to knock him onto his back. “Ow.”

“So, what’d you do?” Reno asks, and pops open the beer.

Rude drags the bag of peas to his tender balls. The cold is brutal but it at least makes them more numb. and it starts to ease the gut-wrenching pain. His face still hurts. “Was gonna dump her, but uh. She beat me to it.”

“Literally,” Reno says, and laughs. “Ah, sorry man. Looks like it hurts.” He slurps the beer. It’s irritating and Rude knows Reno is enjoying every second of this, for some reason.

“It’s because she found _your_ underwear,” Rude grits out.

Reno lifts an eyebrow. “Really, you didn’t clean up, huh? After I washed & folded your robe, you wouldn’t even wash a banana hammock for me?”

Rude shuts his eyes. The horrific term aside, he hasn’t considered that. “Been busy.”

“Not too busy to fuck her again though, huh?”

“Wasn’t like that,” Rude says. He pushes himself up to sitting and moves the peas to his swollen eye. “Was gonna take her out for a drink and dump her. She just showed up looking for something.”

Reno doesn’t seem impressed. Rude glances over at him, but his partner has turned away, his gaze level on the closet. “I wasn’t gonna tell her about… That.”

“Didn’t think you would. Makes you look pretty fucking bad,” Reno says, and his voice is bland. Less amused now.

“Don’t worry,” Rude says, and tries to push himself up to standing, but the sharp ache in his balls keeps that a pipe dream. “Everything else I said made me look pretty bad too.”

Reno’s shoulders shake with a restrained laugh. The sight makes Rude forget the ache for a moment. “So when you said it wasn’t that serious,” Reno begins.

“She definitely thought it was,” Rude agrees. He drags himself to lean against the side of his bed, head falling against the softness. “Didn’t think I was a very good listener, either.”

“That’s all you _do_ ,” Reno says, as if it’s second nature to defend Rude. Rude can see him stiffen as he says it, and turns away again to drink more of the beer.

“You’d be surprised,” Rude says. “Will you please bring my bracer now?”

“Nah,” Reno says, and moves to stand in the doorway. “Kinda nice to see you with your nuts in a vice like this.”

“Be lucky to have any nuts _left_ ,” Rude mutters. “What’s your problem? I get you’re mad I talked about both of us screwing Tifa, but she’s gone now.”

Reno does a spit take, and Rude almost yells at him for getting beer on his carpet before he realizes the can that _he_ had had in his hand had already since fallen to the ground and soaked in. Christ, now he was going to have to get his carpets cleaned.

“You think that’s why I’m pissed!?” Reno says, waving his beer can furiously. “Not the fact that you strung me along and got me thinkin’ it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to fuck a straight guy if it’s _you_ , but then as soon as you pull out you throw a towel on me and announce it’s time to tell your little wifey?”

Rude’s mouth opens and closes two times. The expression on his face must be extra stupid, because Reno looks even more pissed. God, if _Reno_ kicks him in the nuts, he’s genuinely going to be castrated, and the last time he opened his mouth around Tifa it was the wrong thing. This times he tries to figure out what he should actually say, but instead, it’s: “Sorry?”

Reno just scoffs, tipping his head back as he mutters, “Unbelievable.” He leaves the bedroom, and Rude hears him shuffle around before coming back. He’s got Rude’s leather bracer in his hand, with the green Cure calling his name. Instead of handing it over, Reno slips the bracer on and frowns at him. “It might serve you right to just walk out of here with this, y’know,” Reno says.

Rude is desperate enough to gasp, “Please don’t.” Reno raises an eye brow at him, and there’s almost a glimmer of a smirk. Then the magical effect of _green_ fogs his vision as the uncomfortable feeling of his flesh mending and sealing rolls through his body. The swelling in his face is gone, though his eye still feels a bit tender. And when he touches his balls, there’s still two, and he can _stand_ to touch them. He exhales softly. “God, thank you.”

Reno’s face is unreadable. He pulls the bracer off and tosses it onto Rude’s bed, sighing. “Well, thanks for the beer,” Reno says, and turns to go.

Rude gets the distinct sensation of wanting to chase a stray cat into oncoming traffic as he jumps up to his feet. “Wait,” he says, even as Reno keeps walking. “Wait!” He reaches for Reno’s wrist half way into the living room. “Don’t go.”

Reno doesn’t pull away from him, but his shoulders pull up a bit around his shoulders. “I don’t really feel like lamenting your loves lost, Rude,” he says coolly.

Rude lets go of his wrist, moving around to stand in front of Reno. It’s the first time they’ve looked at each other, _really_ looked at each other, since that night. Reno’s gaze is defiant, if tremulous, and Rude feels his eyebrows draw up a bit. “I just wanted to talk to you. Especially now that…” And he shrugs a bit, the implication heavy between them.

Reno lifts an eyebrow. “What is there to talk about?”

Rude is the one who’s surprised now. “You’ve been mad at me.”

“Deserved,” Reno says.

Rude isn’t entirely sure his dick even still works, but he’s compelled to reach up, cupping Reno’s neck, but Reno flinches away. Rude’s mouth goes slack. “I thought, maybe…”

“What, cat got your tongue?” Reno asks, irritation flooding his tone now. He swats at Rude’s hand, stepping away from him. “You thought that now that one fuck is out of the way, you wanna try for the other one, huh?”

Rude can’t say ‘yes’ because it’d make him look bad. But he _thinks_ it.

“Look, Rude, I like you,” Reno says, “and that’s why I did the fucked up thing in the first place of sneakin’ in here, and why I let myself fuck a straight guy _again_ because…” He breathes out a slow sigh. “Because it was you. But I’m not gonna do that again.”

Rude blinks once, struck dumb. He can’t help himself. It just slips out. “Why not?”

Reno growls, irritated. “For fuck’s sake, Rude. You didn’t even touch my dick, much less kiss me. I’m good on that, thanks.”

Rude is about to argue with him when he realizes that’s _exactly_ what happened. Three trysts, all involving using Reno in some way, without payback. A chill runs down his spine at the thoughtlessness of it. Especially since he _had_ been so excited about Reno being turned on. It’s why he’d wanted to bind his hands. Keep him so turned on so that only Rude could give him the release he’d wanted. And he had been so distracted by how badly he’d needed to fuck him, and how _good_ he’d felt, he’d just… Completely forgotten.

This is not the circumstance Rude wanted for self introspection.

He steps up to him and tries to think of what to say. _I’m not straight_ is not a good opener. _I can do better_ is probably true. “Reno,” he says at first, voice low. “I…want you. Let me make it up to you.”

Reno turns to look at him, and suddenly they’re close again. He sees that stone cold expression wavering again, like it had earlier. “I don’t know,” Reno says, and there’s a tremor in his tone.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” Rude says, even though he can taste the desperation in his words. “We don’t have to make a big deal out of it, even.”

Immediately, Reno’s face closes off and he turns. “You’re thick, you know that, Rude?” Reno says defiantly, pushing past him to head for the door. “There isn’t anyone in this damn world I’m closer to. If you want to do anything with me, it’s gonna be a _big deal_. To _me_.”

The gears are turning in Rude’s head, but he’s too slow. “Wait, I didn’t mean—”

“Later, Rude,” Reno says, and slams the door shut behind him. Rude’s head falls back as he stares up at the ceiling.

What his partner meant was, everything they had done was _already_ a big deal, and Rude had treated him like it was nothing.

“ _Fuuuuuuuck_ ,” he groans, maybe a little too loud.

* * * 

After a night of frustrated metaphorical brow beating, Rude has a plan when he comes into work the next day. The entire exchange they’d shared had left him feeling hollowed out in a way that didn’t make any sense. He could understand being irritated by Reno’s less than eager response. Rude had been a selfish lover and he wanted to make amends, but something about Reno’s words made him examine the situation a bit more closely.

He remembered Reno’s first time, talking about the desperation to just _see_ Rude’s dick. The gesture wasn’t romantic by any means, but it made sense for someone like Reno. And what did it say about Rude that his first thought when he realized someone had been in his room with him was, _I hope that’s Reno_. Further still that he’d made Reno suck his cock, and that his partner had gotten off _just from giving_.

It was always a big deal to Reno, and it would be too hard to ignore how eager Rude had been to pull Reno close, at least in the heat of the moment. There was something there that had been there a _long_ time to have had it come out of him when all his barriers were (literally) stripped away.

He had to make this right, in some way or another, and so he devised The Plan: kill Reno with kindness until he lets them talk it out.

When he steps into work that morning, he has a coffee for Reno — but the bastard already has one, and has put a second on Rude’s desk.

“Huh, that a triple Shot in the Dark, Rude?” Reno asks, and his smirk is tinged with pettiness. “You don’t normally drink those.”

Rude refuses to be bothered by this, any twitches of an eye hidden behind his sunglasses. He places the hot beverage on Reno’s desk and eases into his own chair. “I got it for you.”

“Oh, I don’t want a second one. But thanks,” Reno says. “I got you that caramel thing you like already.” He picks up the cup Rude gave him. “Guess I’ll just dump this out.”

Rude stares hard at him and realizes Reno _assumed_ this would be Rude’s method of regaining trust and rebuilding the bond, and Reno was beating him at his own plan. Rude’s mouth worked. “I’m sure we could give it to—”

“Nah,” Reno says, and makes eye contact as he opens the lid to the coffee cup. Rude’s eyebrows draw down in confusion as he watches Reno pull out his garbage can. “I don’t want anybody else to have it.” Then he tips the cup down and pours it with a hot splash into the plastic bin.

The act feels humiliating in a way that gets Rude hot under the collar. Christ, as if it wasn’t obvious before, it’s thrumming through his brain now: He’s _real_ into Reno. The huge balls on this twunk, to display such a power move with direct eye contact. It’s a _little_ intoxicating and Rude could hit himself for being into such a rat bastard of a man — but what is Rude if not one and the same, just in a different package?

Rude manages to say something without clearing his throat. He _thinks_ he’s not blushing. “Reno,” he says, trying to make his voice even out. It’s early in the day. That’s even more of a kick in the ass: Reno got to work on time _just_ to catch Rude in his little ploy. “How long you plan on being like this?”

Reno drops the cup the way you’d drop a mic. It makes an uncomfortable _splat_ sound. “Dunno,” Reno says, and then takes a look at his hands, inspecting bitten down nails as if he has a lovely manicure. “Til I feel better. So. Could be a while.”

Rude wants to crowd into his space, but the office is packed today, even at this hour. He takes a sip of his drink and swears under his breath. It’s exactly what he would have ordered for himself. “What if I took you out on a romantic date?”

Reno’s lip curls in disgust. “Oh, good. Way to prove you’re not gonna treat me the way you treated _her_ just by takin me out to a boring place that I don’t wanna go to. The master of foreplay, Rude.”

Rude’s shoulders round. “Shhhhut up,” he hisses, glancing around. No one is paying attention. “I’m trying to get you to understand that I want to do better, quit blowing me off.”

Reno stares at him again, in a way that makes Rude’s mouth dry. It’s that Hunter’s look that he usually reserves for targets who get their blood smeared on the pavement. Is it hot in here?

“No,” Reno says, his eyes narrowing in a bit as _he’s_ the one to crowd into Rude’s space. His voice has thankfully dropped to a predatory whisper. “Not me blowing you off. _You_ should blow _me_.”

Rude’s eyebrows pop above his shades. “Uh—” He can’t look away. “Are you telling me to fuck off right now?” he asks voicelessly. “Or do you actually want me to blow you?”

Reno’s index finger prods him on the pocket square. “Blow me. As many times as you didn’t touch me.”

Rude’s having trouble keeping up with the math in the conversation, because he’s suddenly thinking about having to suck a dick. He’s never done that, though he wants to. When he’d helped work the butt plug into Reno and saw how hard it had made him, it had looked _good_. He’s even more irritated with himself that he hasn’t put his mouth anywhere on this man.

“Three times,” Reno says. “No reciprocation from me. Whenever I want,” which he punctuates with a tap of his finger on Rude’s mouth. The touch is what finally causes Rude to feel his face heat up in a genuine blush.

Rude’s desperation is on his sleeve. “Anything,” he agrees.

Reno smirks, slowly tipping his head to the side. Then, his foot kicks out and knocks the garbage can over, all the coffee spilling all over the floor. “Oh no!” he says, feigning loud horror. “Shit, we’d better get this cleaned up, Rude.”

Rude’s eyes widen in shock. He wouldn’t. It’s a Wednesday at 8:30 in the morning. He _wouldn’t_.

Reno stands up and pulls on Rude’s wrist. “C’mon, we need to go get a metric fuck ton of paper towels. Who pours a coffee into a garbage can, am I right?” Rude is pulled up like a rag doll. Reno’s going to take him into the restroom. For paper towels.

For cock sucking.

Rude is finally able to choke out a, “Reno, are you seriously,” as they head down the hall, but Reno cuts him off.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not the bathroom,” Reno says, and they pass by the aforementioned room. “I got standards, Rude.”

Rude doesn’t have a response to that. He’s towed along until they reach a locked janitor’s closet. Reno’s able to jimmy the lock in ten seconds flat, and drags Rude in. Reno locks the door again behind them and then flicks on the light. The fluorescent light is harsh, but Reno isn’t going to take this going blind. Rude half expects him to push him to his knees right away, but instead he leans against the door — added security measure — and reaches for Rude. “C’mere,” he says.

Rude does as he’s asked until their bodies press close. “I kinda thought you’d just…”

“You gotta wine and dine my dick,” Reno says casually. “You ever even sucked cock before?”

Rude’s head tilts down, and their mouths are a hair’s breadth apart. “No,” he says, and doesn’t let Reno ask him anything else before he kisses him. It’s odd in a way: it’s perfectly quiet in the closet, only the faint buzz of the lights and the distant hum of the reactor. It’s just their lips touching softly at first, and then Reno’s mouth opens under Rude’s and he can’t help but moan. Reno tastes like sharp coffee but all Rude can really tell is how soft his lips are, how clever his tongue is, and how sharp those nipping teeth can be. Their hips press close, and Rude can feel Reno growing hard against his thigh.

Rude stops kissing him just so that he can get his teeth into the long column of Reno’s neck, but Reno stops him with an amused scoff. “No marks. We’re in here getting paper towels.”

“Long time to get paper towels,” Rude says.

“Yeah, well, the door was locked and we had to go find Suzy the day janitor—shut up, will you?” Reno says, and taps his foot against the inner part of Rude’s. “Get on your knees.”

“What happened to ‘wine and dine’,” Rude teases, though he’s trying to keep the conversation going out of nerves. He eases down onto one knee, and then the other, and he’s face to face with Reno’s tented slacks.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Reno says. Rude’s half expecting another catty remark, but Reno is quiet. Both their breathing is shaky and loud. When Rude’s hands land on Reno’s thighs, they’re trembling like he’s about to unravel from anticipation, and it makes Rude more excited to open his fly and fish out his cock.

Touching him through the fabric of his pants is the first time he’s ever touched anyone _else’s_ dick, and when the naked thing springs out of his underwear, Rude is surprised at how much he wants to keep going. His hand wraps around it, causing Reno to inhale sharply. “Take off your gloves,” he rambles, even as Rude sees his balls tighten up. The leather is too _much_ of a turn on for him, he realizes, and so his hands drop away to pull both gloves off.

It’s much hotter for Rude to feel the velvety skin of his cock on his bare palm and fingers. He finds himself looking up at Reno for reassurance. Reno’s hand comes to his face, just to pull his sunglasses off and tuck them into his jacket. “Go on,” Reno says. “I’ve seen your closeted ass eat a popsicle.”

Rude just gives the pink head of his cock a tentative lick. The taste isn’t _nice_ , it’s salty and sour, but there’s something about it that makes him want more. There’s a few more licks, and Reno’s breath is still coming in staccato bursts before Rude closes his lips around the head of it. It feels good in his mouth, to let his tongue flicker and tease, until he coaxes out that first slip of precum. Reno’s moan is choked off, like he’s trying to keep himself quiet, and Rude doesn’t know if that’s for privacy issues or to keep Rude’s ego in check.

“S-suck me already,” Reno whispers, “before I fuck your face.”

Rude can’t help the groan that’s wrenched out of him at the thought. Okay, so he’s _definitely_ been harboring a lot of different feelings for his partner. His mouth slides further down his cock until it’s too much, and then pulls back. Reno doesn’t seem to be expecting him to deep throat, so Rude continues with shallow dips. He’s salivating like crazy, having to swallow around Reno’s cock so that he doesn’t start drooling all over his own knees. Reno presses a hand into his shoulder, and he feels those bare fingertips dig into his suit.

“Rude,” he whispers, and Rude feels his own dick pulse with want. “I’m not gonna last.” Rude doesn’t stop sucking, though his eyes lift to make eye contact, and Reno’s face is flushed. He’s overtaken with the desire to make Reno come, after failing so spectacularly to do it before. He speeds up, and Reno doesn’t even have the chance to warn him before Rude feels the hot spunk hit his tongue again and again. The texture isn’t nice, and it’s a little unpleasant to swallow — his first gagging of this whole session — but he does it.

He hears Reno’s head _thunk_ against the door. He finally pulls off, trying to hide his own frustration at how hard his cock is. Reno swears under his breath, and then pulls those sunglasses out, handing them back to Rude. Reno even pushes him back a little while he does up his own pants. “Well,” he says, and his tone of voice is back to the slightly snide one it had been this morning when Rude had walked in with coffee. “Looks like there’s plenty of paper towels in here. You should definitely bring these back to the office.”

Rude stares up at him in surprise. His mind is so clouded with arousal he can’t respond. He’s half afraid to touch his erection, afraid he’ll come in his pants before he gets the chance to calm down. “I got an errand to run,” Reno says. He gives Rude’s cheek a gentle tap, the way he might affectionately smack a dog’s face, and then he’s opening the door and out of the closet.

Rude pushes himself up to his feet, and thankfully the absurdity of the situation comes crashing down on him. It’s much more difficult to stay hard when you’re surrounded by giant yellow mop buckets and wrapped boxes of towels and harsh chemicals. Even as he snatches a big box of absorbent towels, he has to wonder how he’s going to get anything done today while he thinks about the taste in his mouth, and how badly he’d like to have more.

* * *

The next time is four days later. They’re on a stakeout, with Reno’s heels kicked up on Rude’s dashboard. Reno’s got the seat leaned back, scrolling through his phone with a bored groan.

“I hate waitin’ for these guys to come out of the woodwork,” Reno sighs, staring up at his bright screen. “How long we got left?”

Rude blows cigarette smoke out the driver’s side window. “Three hours.”

Reno groans again, tapping his heel hard on the dash. Rude grunts, “Watch the interior, asshole.”

Reno rolls his eyes. “As if you don’t get this thing detailed monthly.”

Rude flicks his cigarette butt out the window, and then swats at Reno’s ankle. “Knock it off.”

“Hey!” Reno says, kicking his heel at Rude. “ _You_ watch it!”

“My car, my rules.” He flings Reno’s ankle away, just as Reno sits up.

“This is _Shinra_ property, Rude.”

“We’re all Shinra’s property, Reno.”

“Very funny, but who’s name is on the paperwork for this thing?”

“Still my car. It’s requisitioned to me.”

“You know, I could probably stand to get some wheels of my own. And since I outrank you…”

“Suck my dick, you can’t have the car.”

The longer they bicker, the closer they become, until their faces are close. Rude’s eyebrows are drawn down, but the corner of his mouth is upturned. Reno’s smirk is much looser and more obvious. “Roll up your window.”

Rude pauses, lips flattening out. “Eh..?”

Reno eases back into his seat, where it’s obvious he’s half-hard in his pants already. “The car’s got tinted windows, too.”

Rude’s ears turn red. “We’re on the job, Reno.”

“And I have another job for you,” Reno purrs. “Roll. Up. The window.”

Rude knows he can just tell him to fuck off. Knows they don’t have to do a damn thing, that he can just step out of the car until Reno cools off. Knows that no tinted window is enough to keep from seeing _everything_.

He clicks a button in the door and the window rolls up automatically.

“Suck my dick,” Reno says, knees spreading as he eases back into his leaned back seat. “And I won’t _requisition_ the car from you.”

The second Reno had asked him to roll up the window, he knew what he was getting into. The car aspect doesn’t even matter to him now, like he’s under some kind of horny spell. It’s impressive how easily Reno can just flip the switch in Rude. Light him up until he’s burning from the inside out.

The car is spacious, and the console is wide and flat. There’s no stick shift in the way. If he just leans over, it won’t be uncomfortable, just a little awkward. He’s tall, but the seats are spread out enough that he wouldn’t be hunched. His heart is pounding in his ears. “You drive a hard bargain,” Rude says finally, and leans in to kiss him, but Reno pushes his head down.

“You’ll taste like smokes,” Reno says.

Rude lifts an eyebrow, but his gloved hand ends up on Reno’s crotch nonetheless. He feels Reno make it twitch under his hand. “You need to keep an eye out,” Rude says, voice cool despite the nerves bundling up his guts. “We’re still working.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep my eyes peeled, just quit stallin’.” Reno licks his lower lip as Rude squeezes the line of his erection. “I’m waitin’.”

Rude pops the button on Reno’s slacks, and then slides the zipper down. His underwear are a gaudy leopard print, and Rude finds it stupidly sexy. He pushes the wide elastic waistband down over his cock and balls, listening to Reno give a sigh of relief as he’s freed.

Rude turns in the seat so it’s easier for him to lean over Reno, using his left hand to brace himself on his partner’s leg while his mouth tentatively lowers over the head of his dick.

Reno’s silent other than his quiet, even breathing as Rude works over the first couple inches of him. Rude wants to feel Reno come undone under him, but for now it seems to be slow going while he feels Reno harden up the rest of the way in his mouth. Rude tries to elicit a response from him, so he uses his tongue over the slit, teases the bottom of the head, slurps wetly on his way back up.

Reno doesn’t so much as take a sharp inhale, the bastard. Instead, he hears him sigh in boredom. “Man, where _is_ this guy?”

Rude’s cheeks light up in embarrassment. He knows it’s a ploy — Rude can taste the precum in his mouth, after all — but it doubles his determination. He inhales deeply and then lets his mouth slide down, down, until he gags and pulls off. Then he does it again, and again, until he’s able to touch his lips to the base of Reno’s cock, and Reno’s gasping softly.

“Oh-shit,” Reno hisses, a hand coming down to grip the back of Rude’s neck. “Do it again, deep in—ohh, _fuck_.” Even gagging, Rude’s achingly hard now. His mouth widens as his mouth works over the full length of him; it’s wet and sloppy and messy, and Reno’s hips are starting to move of their own volition. Rude’s mind flashes with the memory: _suck me before I fuck your face_. He groans at the thought, pulling himself over a little further to make it easier to take Reno down all the way. Then he feels Reno’s hips start to move deeper, until Rude isn’t moving at all, just feeling Reno abuse his mouth and throat with long thrusts in and out.

Rude hasn’t felt this turned on in a long time. He’s genuinely afraid if he grinds forward into the console he’ll come in his pants. He definitely doesn’t wanna do that.

Reno whimpers above him, holding his head in place while he fucks his mouth, and Rude’s thighs clench. Okay, maybe he _kinda_ wants to just come in his pants.

“Pull off, pull off,” Reno says, even as his hands move Rude off without Rude doing much. He doesn’t even have the chance to ask why before Reno’s hand is wrapped tight around his cock and he strokes himself five times before he spurts all over Rude’s face, including a few streaks directly over his sunglasses. It would have gotten in his eyes without the shades. Rude is frozen in shock, mouth open in surprise, which makes it easy for Reno to shove his cock back in those wide lips.

Rude gags in surprise once more, and Reno’s cock finally slips out with an eager little laugh. “Fuck, that felt good,” he says, watching as Rude slowly sits up, face splattered in Reno’s arousal. Reno grins. “You got a little… Some’n.”

Rude yanks his pocket square out, pulling off his sunglasses to wipe his face down. The glasses he just throws into the back seat. Those will need soap and water if he wants to see clearly out of them. Now, in his right mind, he’s grateful he didn’t ruin his work pants, even though he’s aching for touch. Reno leans forward, tongue darting out to lick a speck Rude missed previously. “If you wanted to get off,” Reno says, voice hot on Rude’s ear. “You could jerk off in front of me.”

The idea immensely appeals to Rude, but it’s also deeply embarrassing. And a lot more likely for him to ruin his clothes, unless he can catch it all. Which he doubts.

His teeth are in his gloves to pull them off, and hands are in his pants before he has a chance to say no. He didn’t get a chance to come after the last time. This time, he’s twice as hard and _needs_ it. His hand feels good and familiar, even as he feels Reno’s weight slide closer to him in the seat.

“When I first spied on you,” Reno whispers, “you said you listened to me through the wall, too.”

Rude shuts his eyes and lets himself focus on the sound of his voice and the feeling of his hand in his cock. “I did.”

“Did you hate it? Get ear plugs?” Reno teases. “Or did you touch your big cock and think about whoever I was bangin’?”

“First few times I was mad,” Rude says, his hand moving faster. “But god, you sounded good. Had to think about what you’d look like, fucking someone so hard.”

“Yeah?” Reno murmurs, tongue sliding out to trace over Rude’s neck. “So you’ve come all over yourself thinkin’ about me already?”

Rude moans in agreement, and Reno’s hand lands on his shoulder. “Tell me what you’re thinking about right now.”

Rude’s only thinking about Reno’s voice, his touch, his tongue. But he supposes it’s not hard to dredge up Reno above him, riding his cock hard and fast. He says this, and Reno lets out a soft chuckle.

“Go on then,” he whispers, and then his lips press to Rude’s ear. “Come inside me, Rude.”

Rude loses it, though he manages to aim so that he only shoots over his hand and the steering wheel. He lets out a bone-deep moan, falling back against the seat. He feels dizzy. And then Reno throws his used pocket square at him, while his hand’s still on his dick.

Rude’s a little slow to clean himself up, until Reno snaps. “Just in time. There’s our boy,” he says, pointing. “Zip up, partner.”

Rude sighs, redressing and pulling his auxiliary sunglasses out of his jacket. “Now I have to go get this detailed early.”

“Focus on the job,” Reno teases, and is out of the car a moment later.

* * *

Work kicks up shortly after that. The man they’d been prized with following had blown open the location of the first substantial hideout of men who’d owed the Shinra Corp money. It takes them a week straight of missions going all night into the early hours, to which the Turks would slither home, crawl into bed, and then roll back into work four hours later.

It was wearing them down, but they only had one last place to check, and they knew it was going to be a clusterfuck no matter how it went down. Invading an expensive penthouse forty storeys up was going to be a pain in the ass with or without a squadron of helicopters.

Instead it was six Turks, thirty military police, and one helicopter with a spotlight. Rude and Reno weren’t lucky enough to be tasked with heli duty, and instead they led the charge with an elevator full of men into a dark penthouse.

Their targets were waiting with guns.

The whole scene is a massacre, with Reno and Rude splitting up to find their top man. They’re exhausted, but being here, with the sound of guns blasting, has adrenaline pumping heavily. This is when they work tightest as a unit: when they’re hanging on by a thread. Rude breaks a guy’s hand, and then his face. Reno shoves a guy in a running shower and sends arcs of electricity in. Bullets skim their clothes, and then the first penthouse window breaks. The deafening _whump-whump-whump_ of the helicopter is heard, and the spotlight explodes to life, blinding everyone momentarily.

Reno spots their guy running for the emergency stairwell. He throws himself over a counter and two fancy couches to take the man down, but the target is no weakling. They grapple hard on the floor, and he gets the upper hand on Reno as he shoves him hard into the floor, slamming Reno’s head again and again into marble floors.

Reno’s dazed, tries to kick the guy off once and fails; he tries again and succeeds, managing to come to his feet with wobbling legs. His smirk lights up his face in a terrifying way. “Now you’ve pissed me off,” he says, and the target reaches for his pocket.

A gun fires, and the target drops. Rude’s standing in the doorway, gun barrel smoking in his hand. The two look at each other and nod. This was the big guy, but his number two is still out there. The police guard the stairs, and the others comb the place even as more henchmen seem to come out of new rooms. Then, they spot their final guy near the windows. He’s shooting up all the glass and aiming for the helicopter. He succeeds in shooting out the spotlight, and the only light comes from Rude’s flaming fists or Reno’s lightning as they dash forward.

Two guys jump Rude, forcing him to focus on them, while Reno jumps the second in command. They fight over the machine gun, Reno managing to keep it pointed away from himself. And then the guy gets a look in his eye, a terrifying glint, and lurches backwards, hands tight on the gun. Reno follows, stumbling forward and causing them both to fall through the now open windows.

Reno shouts at the top of his lungs before he seems to vanish from view. Rude cracks his assailants’ heads together and throws them to the side, shouting his partner’s name as he rushes to the window.

Reno’s there: both hands bloody and gripping the window’s ledge. The target is gone from view already, fallen below, but Reno is alive, if stiff as a board. Rude doesn’t say a damn thing, just bends half way out the window and grabs for Reno’s wrist. Reno doesn’t move at first. “Grab my hand,” Rude says, voice loud over the roaring wind at this high floor. “I got you!”

One of Reno’s hands begins to slip, and Rude grabs it, a painfully tight grip on his wrist. “Reno! Come on!” Reno shakes his head, the shock pouring out of him as his feet begin to scramble, and his other hand comes loose to grab Rude’s final free one.

Rude’s grip on him is punishing, but it’s effective as Rude pulls him up and back through the window. The penthouse has gone mostly quiet from gunshots, and all Rude and Reno can hear is the blood rushing in their ears. Reno’s bleeding from his face and his hands, from where his palms cut glass. Rude’s whole body is one giant bruise, but he doesn’t care as he clutches Reno to him, face pressed into all that wind-whipped red hair.

“I got you,” Rude says, “I got you.”

Reno’s stuttering breaths slow down. When they’re even, he tries to push himself up and hisses. “Fucking glass.”

Rude sits up for the both of them, pressing his hand against Reno’s back securely as he casts a low level Cure. Reno hisses as the slivers push out of his hands, leaving them tender and a little swollen, but intact. “Can you walk?” Rude asks.

“Yeah,” Reno replies, voice deathly quiet.

Rude pulls him up to his feet, and then informs the other two Turks on the floor to handle cleanup. They nod, and Rude is happy to let them assess the damage as he pulls Reno back to the elevator.

“Let’s get you home,” Rude says, and they don’t touch, other than the soft pull on Reno’s sleeve.

The return home feels like limping home to lick one’s wounds after a loss. But they handled their objective with no (Turk) casualties. But there’s something heavy and scary sitting in their chests, and they can’t talk about it. When Reno reaches his apartment door, he’s surprised to find Rude is still with him, instead of stopping at his own apartment, or even inviting Reno to his.

“Can I,” Rude says, and then stops.

Reno just nods, struggling a bit with the key and then letting them in. His apartment is the same layout as Rude’s, though it’s much less luxurious. There’s a lot more mess. Though it just seems more… lived in.

Rude presses a hand on Reno’s back. “Take a shower,” he says. “I’ll make some food.”

“I’m exhausted,” Reno croaks.

“Shower, food. Then sleep,” Rude says. His mouth wavers. “Please.”

“Not gonna starve to death,” Reno mutters as he heads to the bathroom, and Rude’s back straightens.

“Not under my watch.”

Rude finds takeout that looks and smells like it’s only a couple days old, so he throws it in some bowls and heats it up. He could use a shower, too, but he’s just here to make sure Reno eats. Survives the shower. Sleeps.

Rude eats one of the bowls. He doesn’t even taste it. All he can think about is what happened. Reno’s face, hanging there in front of him, an inch from falling to his death if his hands had slipped. Rude’s stomach turns. _Don’t think about that._

By the time he tosses his bowl into the sink, the shower turns off. Reno comes out a minute later, damp with pink-kissed skin from the heat, a towel wrapped around his waist. “That my takeout?”

“It is,” Rude says, and hands him the other bowl. “I ate half.”

Reno just nods and takes it, shoveling it in his mouth like he’s running on 1%.

“Just wanted to make sure you took care of yourself,” Rude says. “I can get out of here.”

“Stay,” Reno says with his mouth full. It’s more sad than it is endearing. “Please.”

Rude doesn’t say anything at first, just watches Reno eat mindlessly. It’s a comfort. He’s here, in front of him. He’s fine. “Sure,” Rude says, because he doesn’t want to leave Reno alone. “‘M gonna shower.”

Reno just nods, and as Rude walks past him, Rude rests his hand on Reno’s bare shoulder and gives it a squeeze. Reno hums softly at him, and Rude isn’t sure what’s there between them, but it feels significant. Unscalable.

Reno’s shower has more loofah than wash rag and it’s as little disorienting, but he manages to scrub the dust and blood and gunpowder off his skin and out of his mouth. His face is scratchy, but he isn’t even sure Reno owns a damn razor. Instead he’s just happy to towel dry and smell like whatever fruit-and-musk scent came from Reno’s body wash.

When he comes out of the bathroom, the kitchen is dark and there’s two bowls in the sink. The living room is empty. Reno’s in his bedroom, the towel that was presumably around his waist now thrown over his pillow where his wet head lay.

Reno hears him and turns. It’s mostly dark, other than a soft light from Reno’s clock on the side table. “C’mere,” Reno murmurs, words heavy with sleepiness. Rude moves to the other side of the bed, pulling off the towel and sliding under the blanket. He expects to give Reno space, but it’s Reno who latches onto him when he’s finally in his bed. In the dark, when it’s quiet, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

Reno buries his face into the nook of Rude’s chest and shoulder, and Rude slides his arm around his back to hold him there. Reno’s hand comes up to rest across his chest. Rude feels the palm pressed over his collarbone. It’s painfully intimate. Rude’s hand lands on Reno’s.

“Some days,” Rude says very softly, “I hate this job.”

Reno hums in agreement, but his eyes are closed. He’s sleepy. Rude wants to talk to him, but he also just wants to let his mind fade away from all this.

“You gon’ be here when I wake up?” Reno says muzzily.

Rude’s heart catches in his throat and he squeezes his partner against his chest. “Mm,” he confirms.

“Good,” Reno replies. His fingers press a little deeper into Rude’s chest. “I’d like that.”

Despite everything, they sleep like the dead.

* * *

Rude wakes up slowly. He’s groggy and warm; the blanket feels different. His head turns and there’s Reno, one arm crammed under a pillow. The only thing he feels is a rush of relief as he slides closer to the man who’d weaseled away from him in the middle of the night. His arm moves out over Reno’s body outside of the blanket, and Reno hums softly in response. He tucks it under the blanket and his hand makes contact with Reno’s ribs, and Rude suddenly feels like he’s on fire.

His hand settles on Reno’s hip as he rolls in close, pulling Reno’s back to his chest. He presses a kiss to Reno’s neck, his other arm slipping under the pillow with Reno’s as he holds him close. His hand moves up and closer to the center of his body until his hand lands on Reno’s right pectoral. Rude feels bold when his thumb tickles over the nipple there, and Reno’s ass presses against him. The scent of his partner alone has him filling out, cock lazily coming to life against Reno’s familiar skin.

Reno moves his hand behind him, reaching for whatever he can touch. Rude smiles against his neck. “Did I wake you?”

“Dunno,” Reno mumbles, bringing his head out of his pillow. “Feels like a dream.”

Rude’s heart is pounding in his chest, and he moves away from him just so that he can pull Reno onto his back. Reno blinks widely up at him, his smirk broad and soft. “God, I hope I’m awake,” he says cheekily.

Rude leans over him, resting on one hand while the other reaches for Reno’s face. He falls to his elbow, hand sliding to the back of his neck to pull him into a soft, easy kiss. Reno opens up beneath him, legs spreading to allow Rude to crawl between them, his lips parting to accept Rude’s hesitant tongue. Rude melts into him, spurred on by how easily Reno gives in to him. Rude’s kisses grow insistent. They’re both hard and their bodies slide together easily, but it’s not enough.

He breaks the kiss to look at Reno’s face with sleep-soft eyes and kiss swollen lips. “Reno,” he murmurs, and leans down to suck his neck. “Let me make love to you.”

Reno is definitely sleepy, considering his first response is a small laugh that sounds suspiciously like a giggle. “Do you have to call it that?”

Rude catches his eyes again, hovering just above him. “Yeah,” Rude says. “Because I’ve been stupid and selfish, and I almost lost you last night. And knowing that, I can’t not tell you.”

Reno knows the answer, but he asks anyway with nervous breaths. “Tell me what?”

“That I love you,” Rude says, and rather than kissing his lips, kisses his neck, his collarbone, his chest. He’s sliding down Reno’s body with languid movements, stopping to suck on pink nipples. Reno’s writhing under him, his hands reaching for Rude’s shoulders as if to pull him up, but he doesn’t have the strength to move him. And truly, Reno doesn’t want him to stop, he just needs a moment to process what’s happened; but then he feels Rude’s tongue slide below his navel and he lets out a choked moan that almost sounds like his name.

Rude is determined to do well this time as he gets Reno’s cock in his mouth. He’s grown fond of the act, and this way is so much more comfortable than the other options had been. Reno’s legs have made room for him, so Rude takes his time to suck like he’s enjoying a meal. He’s always enjoyed going down on his partners — Reno would know, from what he’s seen and heard — and this may be his favorite. Reno is so responsive under his tongue, and Rude is eager to make him come, to make him boneless with pleasure so he takes Rude’s fingers easily.

“Rude,” he gasps. “You don’t hafta… ah…!” Reno’s reaching for him, but it only ends up being his hand sliding over Rude’s head, grasping at the back of his neck, or placing his hand on top of Rude’s as it rests on his inner thigh. “I don’t… Ah, _fuck_.” Rude’s movements speed up just a bit, his mouth moving up and down in a consistent rhythm that has Reno’s catching. Reno wants to save it, wants to come on his dick, but he can’t tell him to stop, so instead he just taps his shoulder before it happens as a long, thin whine is ripped out of his throat.

Rude pulls back just in time to feel Reno’s cum splatter his lips and tongue. He spits most of it out into his hand, immediately using one slick finger to tease behind Reno’s balls. Rude’s voice is ragged when he asks, “Do you want me to?”

Reno’s feet slide over his sheets, writhing under him. “Do whatever you want to me,” he moans, and a glittering laugh follows after as he reaches over to his nightstand. “There’s lube but I don’t… Wanna move…”

Rude pushes himself up and over Reno’s body and kisses him again, his slippery fingers still teasing at Reno’s hole. Rude puts all his focus on slowing down; the last thing he wants to do is come everywhere before he even gets back inside his partner. Reno licks the taste out of his mouth and moans as Rude presses his fingertip tentatively inside him. He knows he needs to stop to grab the lube, but the sucking heat is mesmerizing this way. He breaks the kiss, his own breaths ragged. “I need to be inside you so bad,” he whispers. Reno moans out of frustration, his arm flailing to the side and finding the thin bottle precariously balanced on the edge of his end table, before throwing it at Rude’s arm.

“Then do it right,” Reno huffs, though he’s not mad. He’s fighting his own impatience, even if he just got off. “Slow. Last time I’d had a plug in me for twenty minutes before you shoved in.”

Rude’s eyebrows draw up. “Sorry,” he whispers, and pops the cap. His fingers now slick with proper lube, he presses the finger back in and out. It’s almost teasing, but Rude _wants_ to go slow. He wants Reno to get hard again. “You’re just so sexy.” Reno gets an amused, flattered look on his face as Rude starts moving his finger in and out of him all the way to his knuckle. “Never wanted anybody as bad.”

Reno’s eyes are dark with arousal. “Yeah?” He bites his lip. “Curl it up a little—ahh, yeah.” Rude does as he says, watching Reno’s face change with every new movement. “Nobody?”

Rude kisses him again and starts to press in two fingers. “Nobody,” he murmurs against his lips. “Was stupid not to notice before.” Two fingers feels much tighter, but he continues to glide them in and out, thumb pressing on his perineum just so he has some stability. Reno likes that a _lot_ as his eyes flutter shut, moaning wordlessly. “I’m crazy about you,” Rude says, and sinks his teeth into Reno’s neck.

The little noises Reno makes as he sucks a bruise onto his skin are as good as drugs. Rude’s cock is painfully hard, but he’s using his free hand to balance himself above Reno. Instead, he redoubles his efforts, and with a little more lube, presses three fingers into him. He can tell that Reno’s loosened up a lot, and now just moves his fingers separately, letting his rolling knuckles massage the rim of his hole.

“Rude,” Reno whispers. “I need somethin’ from you.”

Rude looks up, satisfied with the teeth marks surrounding a purple bruise at Reno’s neck. The sight causes deeply possessive part of him to rumble to life. “Anything, baby.”

Reno’s cheeks flush, and he reaches for Rude’s shoulders. “Get offa me.”

Rude freezes, his hand pulling out of him as he pushes himself up and back. “What’d I…?”

Reno’s expression is a bewildering mix of blushing innocence and predatory lust, and it’s sending waves of confused excitement through Rude. He doesn’t expect it when Reno pounces on him, pushing him onto his back, and straddles Rude’s hips. His cock is half hard again, and Rude feels like a trained dog when his mouth starts to water at the sight of it.

“Let me take you slow,” Reno says, and reaches for the lube. He slicks Rude up, the chill of the lubricant warming quickly as both Reno’s hands stroke up and down the thickness of him. Rude watches silently, struggling to catch his breath and he hasn’t even been inside him yet. Reno hovers above him, holding onto Rude’s cock tightly as he lowers onto him.

The stretch is short, but slow. Rude doesn’t know where to look. Reno’s face as he bites his lip is incredible, but Reno’s cock growing thick and heavy as his body envelops Rude is the greatest sight he’s seen. Reno moves sluggishly until his ass is flush against Rude’s hips, and he leans forward, palms on Rude’s chest. “Fuck, you’re big,” he moans. He raises himself just a bare inch, and then lowers, and then a little higher, and then lowers. He’s torturing Rude, and Rude’s loving it.

Rude’s hand reaches for Reno’s cock and he can’t help but groan when he wraps his hand around it. “Feels so good,” he whispers, trying not to thrust up into Reno from below, but his resolve is crumbling.

Reno works his way up to faster movements until he’s riding Rude hard. It feels like he’s showing off, and he’s succeeding. There’s sweat rolling down Reno’s chest, and he’s got a grin on his face. “You holdin’ back, Rude?”

“Yes,” Rude grits out, letting go of Reno’s cock so both hands can land on his hips. Reno doesn’t even stutter when Rude starts to thrust up into him, the force of it knocking a desperate moan out of Reno. It’s so damn good, and he’s _so_ tight, that Rude can’t stop. He fucks up into him with abandon, and Reno _lets_ him, even curling over so that their faces are close again.

“You like it when I ride you?” Reno murmurs.

Rude grunts affirmatively, one hand moving around Reno’s back as he continues to slam into him. “Need you,” Rude gasps, on the brink already. He wants to roll Reno over, push him back into the bed and give it to him, but it’s already too late. The desire coils so tightly in his thighs that it only takes ten more seconds of frantic fucking before he’s burying himself in him, coming so hard that his vision whites out. Reno’s whimpering above him, and he can hear the soft schlicking sound of Reno touching himself. Rude’s eyes flutter open and his hand slides in between them, swatting Reno’s hand so that he can take over. Reno’s cock is wet — with precum, with spit, with lube, who knows — and Rude keeps his fist tight around him as he strokes him to completion. When he comes, he clenches hard around Rude, and Rude bucks up into him, feeling the aftershocks. It feels like he’s coming again, and it helps that Reno’s cum is painted all over his stomach.

Reno collapses on top of him. They try to catch their breath, hot and slick from exertion. They’re still connected, and both Rude’s arms crush Reno to him. It’s warm and safe in this bed, and there’s no negative memories here. Rude kisses him again and again, until Reno feels that softened cock slip out of him.

It’s messy, and Reno should probably get up, but instead, he just hides his face against Rude’s neck as their bodies finally come to rest. Reno’s fingers tap softly on Rude’s chest. “I love you, too,” he says, though the words are raspy. “‘S why I was so mad before. And I knew I still did, when you…” Reno swallows. “When you pulled me out of that window.”

Rude’s arms squeeze him again. It’s more reassuring than it is claustrophobic. “I’ll make it up to you,” he rumbles. “I’ll keep you safe. I’ll do what you want, too.”

Reno hums thoughtfully, a sly smile lighting up his lazy face as the bad memory fades. “How about you spy on me, this time?”

Rude’s head lifts just enough to look down at Reno, raising an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t you wanna hide and watch me fuck myself?” Reno croons, fingertip circling Rude’s nipple. “Until I get close, then you can’t take it anymore. Then you can finally come out of the closet.”

Rude just smirks at him. “Not sure if you actually want me to do that, or if you’re making fun of me.”

“I can do two things,” Reno laughs, and finally rolls off of him. “This is an equal relationship, partner. I watch your back…” He crawls off of the bed, bending over to pick up a towel. “You watch mine.”

Rude doesn’t take his eyes off of him and, impossibly, feels his cock twitch. “I can do that,” he says voicelessly.

Reno looks over his shoulder at him and gestures. “Shower.” And Rude follows, knowing he’ll go anywhere his lover asks, and be glad to do so. He already knows Reno would do the same for him.


End file.
